The Light in the Stars
by The Sleeping Library
Summary: Dawn and Dusk. Two similar yet different concepts yet ultimately two halves of the same coin. But is the world coming closer to a brighter new day or the deepest night? Aurora and Aleron Winter know their fates are forever entwined... but how?
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings after a rather long period of no contact, dear Readers. **

**So first off, I did say I'd be continuing to write. As you're no doubt aware, it has been several months since my last update. Honestly, I really wanted to get back into posting sooner, but...**

**I wasn't happy with what I was writing. My first couple attempts with getting thought to text went abysmally, and I hit writers block quite a few times during the whole process. But eventually, a friend of mine pointed out that banging my head against the wall wouldn't help matters.**

**So I took a bit of a break.**

**Couldn't think of a way to convey that to my readers (And seeing people still favoriting my stories still brought back the urge) but I was on a extended break. And when I came back, it was a lot easier to write more. Posting? Eh, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. To all those wondering when I'd return, I'm back. To all those who are just now stumbling across this story, go read the others! If you want to. Not forcing or anything. But I said I'd keep going, and I meant it!**

**As so, that brings us to the firstchapter of the third (and probably final) arc of the 'Lunar' series:**

* * *

The Light in the Stars

Chapter 1: The Wolf Princess's Smile

Birthday parties varied from small gatherings of close friends and families to extravagant parties where anyone who was anybody was welcome to come. This… was the latter. The nineteenth birthday of Duchess Penelope Goldthread of Trottingham was met with ridiculous fanfare and visits from lords and ladies from all over Equestria had come to see and be seen in the company of the young Duchess. Networking was the first thought on many of their minds, for the young woman was currently the owner of one of the largest textile empires in the region, and many important figures were present. Even as they served the birthday cake, deals were being cut all over the hall.

Penelope, a golden furred Equestrian with dirty blonde hair that fell past her shoulders in soft gentle curls, sat quietly at the head table of her birthday party, listening to another merchant lord trying to get in her good graces for better deals. She was absolutely, painfully bored, and was doing her best to not fall asleep right into the slice of cake on her plate. Something had to happen soon, or she would call this whole charade off in favor of getting back to business—she was her father's daughter after all, and hard work was worthwhile work. But before she could tell the merchant she wasn't in the market for more cheap labor, she heard the doorman speak up to introduce new arrivals to the party. The few gasps of shock she heard beforehand clued her in to that something interesting was finally about to happen.

"P-Presenting: Princess Aurora Dawn Winter and her companion, Seer Accord of the Stoneborn!"

Eyes went to the door in surprise, shock, and immediate interest. There was a bit of motion, and then the crowd of onlookers and rubberneckers parted to reveal a quartet of pale furred Equestrians that were shorter than Penelope was used to, with uncanny glowing pale yellow eyes and various gemstones set in their foreheads. They were clad in expertly crafted metal armor akin to dragon scales and wore silver cloaks held closed by silver wolf head clasps. They carried no weapons, but the solemn strength they radiated made a number of the Trottingham elite back away. They marched out in formation, fanning out to a rough semicircle before standing at attention with their arms folded behind their backs. Silence held sway for a moment, before a slight laugh came from the open double doors of the feasting hall. "…Way to make a statement, Alloy."

One of the four silver cloaked guards smirked, turning to the door. "We do our best, Wolf Princess."

A silent gasp rolled through the crowd as a tall, slender, and well-built young woman in silver strode into the hall like she owned the place. Her dark violet fur only served to highlight her sky blue hair tied in a half ponytail with her bangs left to frame piercing silver eyes. One strand of her hair was a bright pink, and had a silver ring clipped around it. A spiraled horn parted her bangs and a pair of wings made it immediately apparent that she was an Alicorn, what was generally considered the Royal race of Equestria. Her dress was simple yet refined, and she wore a simple silver ribbon in her hair. The sky blue locks fell down to her waist, tied again near the end so it wasn't all over the place. She also wore a necklace that sported a half moon on it about her neck. Upon seeing all the looks being sent her way, she frowned. "…Did I interrupt something?"

"I believe you were… unexpected, my lady," a second, more worldly yet just as young voice said with the hint of a laugh. Eyes went back to the door as another young white furred Equestrian came following after her, her white dress pristine and calming in just it's appearance alone. A brilliant opal was centered in her forehead, just visible over the very elegant sunglasses she wore. Hanging from her head was a veritable curtain of black braids, held away from her face by a simple circlet. "I believe they no doubt expected your sister."

Aurora sniffed. "This is more Ancè's cup of tea, isn't it…?"

"Indeed."

The young woman shrugged, and her silver eyes traced across the room, alighting on Penelope. With a small smile, she strode confidently across the hall to stand before the young Duchess. Penelope had stood up almost reflexively, a confused look on her face as she realized she was both afraid and in awe of this woman that had in the span of a minute seized the attention of everyone in the room. Aurora grinned at the Duchess. "Duchess Penelope?"

It took the blonde a moment to answer. "Er… yes?"

"Oh, hi! You're a lot prettier in person. Alloy?" She gestured to one of her guards, who came forward with a small box. "Ancè reminded me that since it's a birthday party, I should bring a gift, so…"

Alloy placed the box on the table, bowing slightly and backing away. Penelope glanced at Aurora, who simply smiled. With that she opened the box. Inside were a number of assorted candies, from mints and chocolates to other kinds of sweets. Penelope blinked. "Candy?"

"From a candy shop in Stonehearth called Chaotic Confections," Aurora explained, pointing to the donut shaped like an eight pointed star on the side of the box. "My dad and the owner are good friends, so I can get candy for free!"

"Why… thank you," Penelope said, smiling. "I do honestly have a ferocious sweet tooth, but I haven't had the chance to indulge lately. I appreciate this."

Aurora smiled brightly. "Great! Wish you could meet my little sister Jubilee—she's big on sweets too."

"You have other sisters?"

"Oh yes! I have four sisters. Oh wait, five!"

Penelope blinked. "Oh my!"

"Sounds like your mother has been rather busy," One of the ladies at the table said with an amused snort. The others at the table nodded, having been staying silent up until this point but now letting out soft chuckles of amusement. Aurora had arrived and taken such a command of the event as it were.

Aurora gave her a bored look. "_My_ mother only had myself and my twin brother. My father formed a herd, so I've got a bunch of half sisters."

There were small gasps all around. "Oh my…"

"Seems that's not common knowledge," Aurora muttered.

Penelope cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but would you kindly take a seat, Miss Aurora?"

The sky haired Alicorn frowned. "Sure, but just call me Aurora. Accord? Want to join us?"

Accord, the Stonekin waiting patiently behind Aurora, inclined her head. "If you are offering, I'll gladly accept."

The two young women sat, the silver cloaked guards dispersing and all but vanishing into the crowd. Penelope glanced from Aurora to Accord, obvious confusion on her face. The lady to Aurora's right started the conversation, however. "I apologize for my forwardness, Princess Aurora—"

"Just Aurora, please." Aurora cut her off politely without hesitation, silver eyes darting over to the speaker. " Although I haven't had the pleasure of knowing your name, Miss…?"

"Lady Forthright," the woman said, blinking once in surprise. "But you _are_ a Princess, yes? Your mother is Princess Luna, after all."

"Plus, your guards referred to you as such," the merchant beside Accord said.

Aurora let out a tired sigh. "My dad's a Lord, not a King. Depending on who you ask. It's habit I haven't been able to break in seven years. It's more of an affectionate nickname for me than my actual station."

Penelope frowned at that. "Then what is your station?"

"Marshall Aurora Dawn Winter of the Vanguard," Aurora said, that sparkle of amusement in her eyes flashing again. She grinned. "_I'm_ commander of Stonehearth's elites."

"Such a young girl is in charge of military forces?" one of the other men at the table scoffed. "I can't believe that!"

"Surely you have all heard the stories?" Accords soft voice caught their attention, and all turned to the white furred woman. She gave a very amused smile. "Of a young girl, hardly of age, leading the allied armies of Equestria against the Zodiac?"

"That was you?" Penelope whispered in awe. Everyone _had_ heard the stories. Storytellers and travelers had told the story of the siege of Canterlot, and all the heroics that had been done there. Though many of the tales spoke of her father's duel against Leo, the Order Mage leading the Zodiac, many stories included her as well. The silver eyed young woman in front of her had been at the forefront of the fighting despite her young age, and according to legend had been a literal terror on the battlefield. She'd stood in the midst of the battle and not only survived but thrived. It had been almost unbelievable.

However, now that Penelope was sitting in across from her, it was obvious that the stories could be true. Although beautiful in a formal attire, Aurora looked like she'd be more at home in armor and with a weapon at her side. It was fitting most Equestrians outside of Stonehearth had even begun calling her the 'Princess of War'.

Despite having unintentionally terrified everyone at the table, Aurora laughed nervously while shrugging. "I wasn't all that impressive, to be honest."

Accord giggled, covering her mouth delicately. "Oh, you know that is not true. We have a carving of you holding the Wolfhome banner on the walls of the Crypt, Aurora."

Forthright blinked. "You led _soldiers_ into battle?"

The young Wolf Princess shrugged. Apparently there were still people who didn't know much about her role in the battle of Canterlot. Most knew she helped her brother save Princess Celestia, but her father got most of the credit for the battle. "I still do, occasionally. Mostly just monster hunting nowadays though."

"That's still rather… amazing," Penelope said. Her eyes fell on Accord. "And… you? What do you do?"

"I am currently the spiritual leader of the Stonekin," Accord said with a serene smile. "And I am aide to Lord Tyr himself, with my ability to steal glimpses of the future."

"That's… actually amazing." She opened her mouth to say more, but the doorman spoke once again.

"Introducing—Duke Golden Wing, and his son, Northstar!"

There was a light smattering of applause as the older, gray haired noble entered, followed by his handsome son. Both were gold in coloration, although Northstar's hair was a pure white and cut close to his head. His sky blue eyes found Penelope, and he made a beeline to their table. He didn't even hesitate before laying on as much suaveness as possible. "Ah, my lovely flower Penelope! Congratulations on yet another year of life!" He said with a theatrical and exaggerated bow.

"North," Penelope said politely, mouth formed into a hard line. "I'm… glad you could make it."

"And miss this celebration of you?" The young duke flashed a winning grin. "I could not miss it."

"I see."

Northstar briefly took his eyes away from Penelope to scan the rest of the table. After a moment, his eyes met Aurora's curious silver ones. "Oh? And who might this beauty be? Surely not the famous Aurora Dawn, daughter of Princess Luna!"

Aurora blinked. "I'm famous?"

Accord giggled again. "As I said before…!"

"Shut up, Accord!" the young Alicorn hissed, but the Stonekin Seer simply kept giggling. "Ugh! I knew I should have brought Cori with me…"

Northstar glanced between the two young women in brief confusion, before plastering his smile back on his face. "I am honored to make your acquaintance, my Princess. I had no idea you were a friend of my dearest Penelope."

"Not exactly," Aurora replied, folding her arms. "My sister asked me to come in her stead since she had other business to attend to."

"That's right," Penelope said, clapping her hands together. "Your sister—Exuberance, correct? She purchased fabrics for her mother's clothing line?"

Aurora nodded, absentmindedly twisting the pink lock of her hair around a finger. "Yes, she wanted to come but… business came up."

Northstar cleared his throat, earning him a very bored glare from Accord and a confused one from Aurora. "Not to interrupt, but why did you decide to come instead of your sister, Princess?"

"It's Aurora," Aurora replied evenly. She folded her hands together. "Ancè wanted me to thank Penelope personally, and to wish her a happy birthday. My other siblings... were busy."

"How kind. However, Penelope's business is certainly… not as profitable as it once was, no?"

Penelope narrowed her eyes. "North…" She said warningly.

The young duke shrugged. "I am only stating facts. My father is already making moves to purchase your remaining factories and production houses. Soon, the only thing keeping you from being a part of our family is the wedding date."

Aurora blinked at that, glancing over at Penelope. "Is this true?"

The young duchess was suddenly the center of attention—most of the merchants and ladies giving her looks of pity and sadness. She grimaced. "It's not final. It's not—the marriage is only to happen if—!"

"If you are unable to match my father's bid," Northstar said smugly. He grinned. "And even with the sale of those fabrics to the Element of Generosity's clothing stores, you are still short."

Penelope grit her teeth in frustration. Aurora looked at her with an unreadable look on her face. "So… you're bankrupt?"

"No, but no longer able to refuse our offers to buy her out," Northstar said, barely hiding his approval at the fact. "Ever since her father died, after all. It was too much for you alone, wasn't it?"

"You and your father have been undermining me for years," Penelope said, venom dripping from every word. "Just because I didn't have the same business sense as my father didn't mean you had to take everything from me!"

Silence held sway for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, Aurora spoke up. "How much is he paying to buy you out?" She asked Penelope softly.

The blonde blinked. "W-What?"

Aurora's gaze narrowed for a split second, before her silver eyes cut upwards to where Northstar was standing. "How much is your father offering?" She directed at him instead.

Northstar folded his arms, a cool superiority exuding from his posture. "Seventy five million bits."

The young princess of Stonehearth nodded at that, before turning her gaze back to Penelope. "How much did you get?"

"Surely you don't wish to remind the poor girl—?"

"I'm talking to her," Aurora said sharply with the authority of one who is in command. Northstar shut up before he could even process what he was doing, eyes wide with shock. Everyone at the table was slack jawed at this, eyes fixed on the young woman with silver eyes. Only Accord was unaffected, and she wasn't even paying attention. The Alicorn turned back to Penelope again. "So. How much did you manage to get?"

"Twenty million," Penelope said softly, eyes wide. "Most of that was from the deal with Rarity and her boutiques…"

Aurora nodded to herself. She glanced over at Accord, who was looking down at a crystal in the palm of her hand. There was a small screen like display above it, and she was rapidly going through information on it. After a moment, she smiled. "Silver Mint has authorized it. Go ahead, Aurora."

The young princess grinned, her bright and happy demeanor breaking through the uncharacteristic seriousness that had taken hold of her. "Wonderful. I was hoping we wouldn't be too late. Penelope Goldthread? As authorized by my father Lord Tyr and the financial advisor of Stonehearth Silver Mint, I'd like to offer you eighty million bits to buy all stock in your textile production chains."

Mouths that were closed fell open wide. Those that were already open fell even further. Penelope stared at Aurora as though she had seen a ghost. Northstar's mouth was working rapidly, although no words were coming out. Because of the pronounced reaction from the head table, eyes from around the hall were beginning to turn their way. Finally, the duke's son spoke up. "You can't be serious!"

"Why not?" Aurora turned to him, frowning. "Stonehearth needs fabrics and other cloth related things for normal function. We normally export from here, but since Penelope's father's death—sorry for your loss by the way—we've been receiving less and less product than we normally got. We figured it was because of a change in leadership and business practice was mucking up the process, but then we discovered that the shipments we were promised were simply _never leaving_."

"Stonehearth has had half of its scheduled shipments simply not arrive in the past four months," Accord added, still reading from her hard light screen.

Penelope blinked at that, before turning shocked eyes to Northstar. "You… you and your father were intercepting my shipments?"

"More than just intercepting," Accord remarked, eyes back on her crystal screen. "Apparently he was taking the cargo from those ships and selling it himself. He's been making a tidy profit from your product. Oh, and pressganging your employees onto his vessels."

"All this time I thought pirates were attacking my ships…" Penelope turned furious eyes on Northstar. "You… you bastard! How could you!?"

"It was simply business, my dear," a gruff voice replied. They all turned to see the Duke himself arrive, hands folded behind his back as he approached with several other merchants. "Your father held sway in the business for a long time. Once he was gone, it was only natural to begin chipping away at the monolith before us."

"However they could never directly attack your factories," Aurora said, standing. She met the Duke's eyes. "So they decided to choke you out instead."

"Marrying you into our family was supposed to be the end stroke," the Duke said, nonplussed. "The Goldthread family name would be absorbed by my Golden Wing family."

"To trade one king for another," Accord said softly.

Golden Wing chuckled. "It is the game we play, after all."

"So you ruin a poor girl's attempt at running her father's business for your own gain? Sounds like a game that's not worth playing." Accord sighed, shaking her head. "The things you do to your own…"

The duke glanced at Accord, but returned his eyes to Aurora, who was still facing him. "So you seek to outbid me, little Princess? A bold move, especially so late in the game."

Aurora folded her arms but gave him a very defiant smile. "If it's the game we're playing, isn't it better to hold your cards close to your chest until the final hand?"

"Only if you are still looking for the rest of the table to show first."

"I'd like to think it's more for the shock factor. That way, you catch everyone off guard."

"Are you saying I showed my hand too early?" Golden Wing chuckled, but there was no amusement in it. "The deal is essentially set in stone, Princess Aurora. Your offer now is a valiant effort, but by the time you can move that much currency, I will have already pushed my purchase through. And I will not be selling to you."

"Actually, the money can be brought here within a couple hours," Accord piped up. "We're waiting on confirmation from Lady Penelope that she accepts."

Golden Wing's eyes narrowed. "And if I were to push my bid up?"

Accord glanced up at him, unamused. "Silver Mint has authorized us to spend up to one hundred and fifty million bits in order to secure Lady Penelope's business."

Gasps ran through the crowd—everyone was watching at this point, unable to believe the scene they were witnessing. Golding Wing's eye twitched. "…You still have the issue of my ability to push this purchase through before you can even get the money here."

"Easily done," Aurora said happily. "Why do you think I came? Not only have you wrongly intercepted cargo bound for Stonehearth, but you've also imprisoned and forced unwilling civilians to work for you. Pressganging is considered slavery, and last I checked, slavery was illegal in Equestria."

"We've broken no Equestrian laws," Northstar interjected, the first time he'd spoken since his father had begun talking. "All the workers were… 'liberated' from a rival company!"

"Did I mention stealing from Stonehearth is almost akin to declaring hostilities against us?" Accord added helpfully. "And that places responsibility on Stonehearth, not Equestria. In the words of our distant cousins the Dawi, _You Have Wronged Us._"

Aurora's smirk became a sinister smile, sending shivers down the spines of everyone watching the exchange. "So, on orders of my mother, Princess Luna, and my father Lord Tyr, all assets belonging to the family of Duke Golden Wing will be seized, the duke himself will be stripped of all lands and titles, and you will be taken into custody."

That got the Duke to pause in shock, mouth dropping open for a split second in confusion. "You… you what?"

"You were denying supplies meant for our city," Accord said, standing up alongside Aurora. She closed her hand around the crystal, shutting off the display. Her friendly smile was gone, replaced by a look of measured disappointment. "We were not amused. Lord Tyr considered destroying all your assets, but we decided on a more… profitable direction."

Alloy approached, the pale-blue haired guard lowering a crystal of her own from her ear. "The other teams have finished, Wolf Princess. All report success."

"Great!" Aurora grinned.

Golden Wing looked from the guard to Aurora to Accord, and back to Aurora. "What… what happened?"

"We've seized all your production facilities, released all the trapped workers you had, and captured all of your transport ships. Even if you try to push through with this purchase, you'll have no capital with which to back it up." Aurora smiled sweetly, before grinning like a demon with her sharp canines showing. "So not only are we buying Penelope's business, we're combining her factories and whatnot to _yours_."

The Duke gaped for a moment longer, before closing his mouth sharply. "You couldn't possibly…!"

"It's already done," Aurora said, waving a hand and turning away. "As of today, you have no title or holdings. They now belong to the Wolves."

"You can't… you can't have that authority!"

Aurora drew herself up straight. The other members of her guard materialized then, surrounding the Duke and his son. Suddenly, she seemed almost twice as imposing. "For crimes considered akin to acts of war against Wolf's Peak, you are under arrest. Your punishment will be decided by Princess Luna and Lord Tyr upon our return to Stonehearth. Alloy?"

The guard nodded. "Alright—Vanguard? Let's secure this guy."

The four Vanguard members bound the Duke's hands behind his back and ushered him out of the hall. Northstar watched in confusion, hi mouth open in shock. Aurora turned back to Penelope, who was staring at her with eyes wide and mouth partly open. She giggled. "Close your mouth, Penelope."

She did so, snapping it shut with an audible click. Then, after a moment of collecting her thoughts again, she spoke. "Are… are you seriously buying me out?"

"Not… exactly," Aurora said with a shrug. "Yes, we're going to be buying all your stock and essentially ownership, but you'll still have operational control. We'll be using our fleet to protect yours until your opposition gets the message that we don't like to be trifled with."

She cast a glance around the hall, noting that everyone was watching her with barely hidden trepidation. Many were trying to make themselves small faced with a prowling wolf. Penelope swallowed. "You're… letting me keep my father's business?"

"Well… yes. You were doing a good job, or so I've been told. If your cargo and other stuff went where it was supposed to, you'd have actually been making profit."

"Really?"

"Silver Mint ran the numbers," Accord pointed out. "You'd be actually doing better than your father."

"Oh… oh wow…"

Aurora smiled. "Once we get all the paperwork done, you'll be working under Stonehearth's banner."

Penelope slumped back in her seat. "I… that's more than I was really expecting at this point… Thank you so much, Princess Aurora."

"Just Aurora," the Alicorn reminded with a laugh. "And you're welcome. The money should be here within the hour, and then you'll probably be wanted back at Wolf's Peak to finalize the proceedings."

"I wanted to visit the Stone City once at least," Penelope said weakly. She smiled. "Guess I get to do so earlier than expected…"

Accord smiled. "We will be happy to have you. Aurora?"

Aurora grinned. "Yeah. Sorry for leaving so abruptly, but we've got to get the duke back."

Penelope nodded. "Ah yes… you didn't come here just for him, did you?"

"Of course not!" She grinned. "We really wanted to wish you a happy birthday!"

"Well…" She blushed a little bit. "Thank you. And pass my thanks on to your sister."

"Of course!" Aurora bowed slightly, before turning and heading to the door. Accord bowed as well, sliding something onto the table in front of Penelope before following after her Princess. It was a silver brooch in the shape of a wolf's head. "Start wearing that around. And if anyone gives your trouble, you know who to call!"

"Enjoy the rest of your birthday," Accord said politely as they left. And like the blizzard she was born from, the Princess of War blew in, did what she came to do, and left confusion in her wake.

–x–

"Well, that was certainly fun," Aurora said as she and Accord exited the Ranger on the landing dock of Stonehearth. It had been a mostly uneventful flight back from Trottingham, with Aurora's inherited skill at piloting the somewhat alien craft making it a smooth ride all the way back. Stonehearth's landing dock was rather busy today, with a number of airships going to and from other parts of the stone outcropping. The vast majority of Stonehearth was built from stone, immaculately carved and designed for maximum efficiency by the Stonekin. The ever impressive Wolf's Peak stood in the background, the craggy castle and seat of power standing proudly over the city that grew in its shadow. It was the home of the Wolf Lord and his family, an ever present reminder that the Wolves were watching over their domain.

"I believe we have too differing opinions on what counts as fun, Aurora," Accord pointed out with a laugh, following after. Both had changed out of their formal attire, with Aurora opting for pants and a tight fittign shirt, and Accord in a much more casual sundress.

Aurora stretched as she exited, taking in a deep breath of the stone and natural smell of the city she called home. "Ah, you couldn't resist making the Duke sweat too."

"I suppose you are right in that regard."

There was a Stonekin waiting on them as Aurora and her party disembarked, her dark green hair tied back in a tight bun and her glowing eyes focused on a crystal screen in front of her. About her shoulders was a dark silver cloak edged with gold, and a bronze shield pinned to her lapel. Glancing up, she smirked slightly as she saw Aurora and Accord arrive. "Ah, Little Princess. We were afraid we'd have to send a rescue party."

Aurora grinned, striding confidently over to meet the older Shaper. "Hello Carver! And for me or for them?"

"Well, I know you're capable of taking care of yourself, so probably for whoever pissed you off." Carver smiled. "Plus, you had Accord with you. I'm sure the Seer could keep you from causing too much trouble."

"I'm not sure," Accord giggled. "You know Aurora is rather imperious when she sets her mind to something."

Both Stonekin laughed as Aurora gave them a disparaging look. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But when everything starts going bad, you'll be turning to me for a way out."

Carver laughed lightly. "No, I believe that is why I'm here, Little Princess. I'm not captain of the Wolf Guard for nothing."

"Fair point…" Aurora glanced back at the Ranger, watching as Alloy and her fellow Shapers escorted the former Duke Golden Wing out of the ship. "Make sure he's secure and waiting on my mom, Alloy."

The Shaper nodded. "You got it, Princess. Come on, buddy. We've got a nice cell with your name on it."

They bundled him away, the former Duke shooting Aurora a hateful glare. She grinned right back at him, before turning back to Carver. "So, anything happen in my absence?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Carver said, gesturing for them to follow her. They left the landing pad, greeting a few of the Stonekin workers as they directed traffic and helped offload cargo. With the population of Stonehearth booming in the past few years, more supplies and materials had to be brought in, turning the small castle town into a well defended city. With the inclusion of the Ursa and Wulfen to the population, it had been a bit awkward to refer to the city and the territory around it as 'Wolfhome'. Thus, Tyr had decided to (again) change the name and banner of his young nation.

Stonehearth.

Carved from the mountain of Wolf Peak, forged in the siege of Canterlot, and tempered by the heat of the forge, the castle town had boomed in size with refugees from Canterlot and many residents of Ponyville deciding to stay after being forced to move by Changelings. Tyr had welcomed them all—to the distaste of the upper crust of Canterlot Nobility, nicknaming him the 'King of Strays'. Not much sleep had been lost over that, but the city had to grow, and the walls keeping them secure as well.

With their placement in the side of the mountain now, there was really only one entrance to the city that was open. Said entrance was the main gate, which also was the most heavily fortified part of the city. Shapers stood alongside the towering Ursa, the bears in their heavy armor a stark contrast to the lighter styled armor of the Stonekin. Occasionally a Wulfen could be seen on patrol, the wolf-kin lightly armed but still just as deadly if necessary.

Carver led them down to street level, the majority of the civilians making way for them as they walked. The captain of the Wolf Guard was well known, having made her presence known in breaking up disputes and altercations about the town. Aurora herself was a well-known figure, as she was daughter to the rulers of the city.

Tiled roads and many open air shops greeted them, for the docks opened up into the main market district of the city. Ease of access for the sailors and pilots to get food, drink, and rest, and also the easiest place to start selling wares. Visitors and residents alike roamed the packed roads, buying and selling to the music of life, laughter and entertainment. Most paid Aurora's little trio barely any heed as they passed, but the hidden Stonekin guards mixed into the crowds gave them small nods of welcome as they went by.

They headed down the streets at a brisk pace headed towards the castle itself. They had exited onto the main thoroughfare when conversation sparked up again. "We had a rather interesting event today," Carver said after a moment.

"Hm?" Aurora turned away from a display stand of scarves to look at the older Shaper. "Hm? What happened?"

"Apparently your mother and aunt challenged each other to a cake eating contest."

"Oh? Who won?"

"Hope did."

"But how…ah. Wow. That must have been funny."

"Hope gets to be Princess of Cake for the day," Carver said with a little snicker. "She is currently passing out cake in the city's main square."

Accord laughed. "She must be so happy."

"Can you blame her? Seeing people smile is what that girl lives for… hm?" Their attention was diverted by the sound of wings nearby. The trio looked up to see a regal looking bird settling into a perch above them, ice white and pale blue feathers glittering like snowflakes freshly fallen. The bird's ice cold blue eyes fixed themselves on Aurora, before it let out a bright and happy warble. "Oh look, it's Valor."

"Valor?" Aurora repeated, staring at the brilliant blue white bird. The Ice Phoenix trilled again, flapping his wings and scattering snowflakes. The young Princess of Stonehearth frowned, thinking for a minute. Then, her eyes snapped open wide and she let out a loud gasp. "_Dad's home!_"

Valor pretty much rolled his eyes in response. With that, Aurora's wings snapped open and she took off into the sky, blazing a trail across the sky towards the keep. Accord and Carver watched as she flew away, amusement on both of their faces. "Did you know Lord Tyr was home?" Accord asked, turning to the Shaper.

Carver shrugged as Valor flew over to alight on her shoulder. She gave him a little pat on his head, the Ice Phoenix leaning down into the act. "I knew he was on his way back, and you know the _Winter's Grace_ is a lot faster than we give it credit."

Accord turned her attention up to the mountain, noting the opening about halfway up the mountain. It was the former landing port of the Jötunheim, former home/airship of the Winter family. It had gone down during the battle of Canterlot, crashing and tearing a permanent swathe of destruction through the nearby Everfree Forest. The materials from the crashed ship had taken a year to be recovered, but had been reforged and formed into the new flagship of the Stonehearth air fleet: the _Winter's Grace_. The new ship used the secluded dry-dock for its home, and from their place in the city they could vaguely make out the silver frame of the smaller, still just as hyper advanced airship. "…Seems so."

Aurora meanwhile was already to the keep, landing a short dash from the main gate. The Shapers waiting there started at seeing her, but both broke into smiles and simply pushed open the wooden double doors. "Thanks guys!" Aurora called out as she flew past.

"Of course, Wolf Princess!"

"Good to see you home!"

She dropped back to a run as she entered the castle, hurrying down one of the long halls that led to the throne room. There were wolf head banners along the walls that blew in her wake, along with a single violet one marked with a snake wrapped around a rose, and another gold banner with a black shield with a red gear overlaid on it. Stonehearth's new banner, dark silver flame surrounding a diamond hung at the end of the hall, the argent flame set against the dark crimson of the banner itself. Aurora paid them no mind as she kept running, reaching the staircase that let up to the dry dock. There were a few of the castle staff wandering about, black skinned and green eyed Changelings in maid and butler outfits going about their business only to dive aside as the young woman blitzed past. Aurora didn't stop—leaping over their heads with a single flap of her wings and using the walls as springboards. Although they simply went back to whatever they were doing—this wasn't the first time it had happened, after all.

Aurora burst onto the dock to find a squad of Stonekin engineers standing at the foot of the landing ramp to the Winter's Grace. Amongst them were two taller figures, one a young woman with elegantly styled violet hair with black highlights and the other a very tall man with dark skin, short black hair, and an amused smile on his face. Both had bright silver eyes that turned to look when they heard Aurora arrive. "Oh, there's my little cub," Tyr said with a smirk.

There was nothing but glee in Aurora's eyes. "Daddy!" she nearly squealed.

She flung herself at him, finding his waiting arms spread to receive her hug. Young woman or not, the eldest blood daughter of the Wolf Lord never passed up a chance to express her inner little girl around her father. She laughed in elation, wrapping her arms about his neck as his stronger, more muscled ones wrapped around her waist. She buried her face in his shoulder, taking in that unique scent of her father—metal, fresh snow, and just a hint of blood. "You're home!"

"I didn't think I was gone that long," Tyr remarked with a chuckle, patting her head. The Elemental had changed little in seven years, keeping his wolfish demeanor and his typical stance of being ready to strike at any moment. He'd grown a bit of a goatee, something he kept clean and neat but also gave him a bit more of an authoritative look. Other than that he was mostly the same. Being an Elemental did pretty nice things to one's lifespan. His perceptive silver eyes were always watching, always aware. However he smiled warmly at his daughter's happy face. "But I know you well enough to know that you missed me a lot, huh?"

"Of course!" Aurora pouted, pulling away from him. "Besides, can't I just be happy to see you home safe?"

"You've certainly given us many reasons to worry, father," the girl beside Tyr remarked, brushing one of her glittering curls out of her face.

Aurora glanced at the girl, blinking several times. "Oh, Ancè! I'm sorry, I was just…!"

Exuberance Winter shook her head, again having to brush hair out of her face. She was shorter than Aurora (Alicorns were naturally taller than most) but she had developed a runway model's body. Perched on her nose were red half rimmed glasses that only drew attention to her silver eyes. She gave her half-sister a little smile. "No, I understand, Aurora. I too was happy to see Father when he picked me up."

"Oh, that's right! How did your thing go?"

Ancè gave a rather cryptic smile. "As best as it could. And the trade deal with the duchess?"

"Went through like a charm!" Aurora smiled proudly. "I didn't trip in my heels at all! _And_ we captured the Duke that was intercepting our shipments. He's being taken to the cells, at this moment."

Tyr smiled. "Nice job, Aurora. And you managed it without starting a fight."

Aurora chuckled nervously. "Well… I _kinda_ raided all of the duke's estates and seized all his assets."

Both Tyr and Ancè blinked in surprise, shared a look, and then broke out into laughter. "I knew you'd do something to the duke, but I didn't expect that," Ancè admitted, covering her mouth as she laughed.

Tyr simply patted his daughter's head. "That's my little cub for you. You all grown up… not in the way I would have wanted, but you've all become very fine individuals."

"So… I did okay?" Aurora asked.

"Yes, yes you did Aurora. I owe your Aunt Vanna a few bits cause of a bet now, but you did fine." Tyr looked up from his daughter to look around. "Now, two things. One, I was expecting at least four others greeting me immediately as I got home."

"Mom has a stomach ache from a cake competition with Aunt Celestia," Aurora pointed out.

Tyr gave her an amused look, before looking around to spot one of the Changeling maids at the far wall. "Ah, you. Come here a moment?"

The Changeling maid strode over confidently, bowing once she was a few steps away from them. There was the faint hiss in the shapeshifter's voice as she (as far as anyone was aware) spoke. "You have need of this one, Lord Tyr?"

"Where's your queen? I half expected her to be waiting on me when I arrived."

"She is currently taking care of Mistress Luna, my lord," the Changeling replied, head still bowed. She fidgeted a bit. "She sends her regrets for not greeting you as you disembarked. She further states you are free to punish this one for her mistakes."

Tyr raised an eyebrow. Then he reached out and pet the smaller Changeling. "Alright, here's your punishment. Where's Pinkie and mini-Pinkie?"

The Changeling blushed, dark blue against the black. "Um… Mistress Pinkamena and her daughter are in Ponyville, throwing a birthday party for someone there."

"Ah, I see." Tyr nodded. He turned to his two girls. "Secondly, I have a surprise for you, Aurora."

"Me?" the sky haired girl blinked. She glanced over at Ancè, who simply gave her a knowing smile. "You brought something back for me? What?"

Tyr stepped aside, giving Aurora full view of the airship's landing ramp. She gasped loudly, seeing two figures descending. It was the young man with dark blue fur in front that caught her eye, his shoulder length black hair neatly combed away from his face, and his silver eyes meeting hers without a moment's loss. He was dressed in mostly black with hints of silver, the crest of Stonehearth pinned to his collar alongside the crystal starburst of the Crystal Empire. The young man paused for just a second, before quickening his pace down the ramp. Releasing her father without another word Aurora nearly flew to meet him, the two meeting in a tight embrace a few feet from the bottom. She took a deep breath, before letting it out slowly. Ink, old paper, and the smell of cold air greeted her. "I missed you, Aleron." She whispered.

Her brother smiled, leaning into his sister's embrace. "I missed you too, Aurora."

"It's been so long," Aurora said, tightening the hug. "And you were always busy when I tried to call you and talk to you…"

Aleron chuckled, gently rubbing her back. "Sorry, Ro. I'm the foremost researcher when it comes to Dark Magic. That and helping Sunburst around the Crystal Empire and forming Crystal Comm…"

"Still," She muttered darkly. It wasn't fair really, considering it was Aleron's idea to inscribe crystals with long range communication capabilities. Tyr had been amused and said his son had made cell phones. Even after creating a way for them to talk over long distances without the travel time of a letter, he was _still_ somehow so busy he couldn't be reached more often than not.

"Come on, Ro, the C.C. Tower has only been up for a year. And the technology isn't widespread yet."

"I know, but… still."

"Oy."

His sister pushed him out to arms-length, letting her silver eyes examine him. Although twins, really only body type was shared between them. After being shorter than his sister for most of their childhood, Tyr's height genes were beginning to show in the dark furred unicorn—he was just about his sister's match now. Of particular note was how strong he looked, as though he was training his body alongside his magic. "…You look tougher. Manly even."

Aleron narrowed his eyes. "You saying I'm not manly?"

Ancè giggled softly. "Suffice it to say, dear brother, that Aurora has always been—and no doubt still is—physically your better."

"…Yeah, probably."

Aurora grinned. "I'm just happy to see you again. It's been six years too many."

Aleron smiled back. "I can agree with you there."

Tyr cleared his throat, getting both of his children's attention. "Al? Don't you have someone to introduce to your sisters?"

"Oh, that's right!" Aleron turned to the ramp. "Come on, Penny! No need to be shy now."

All eyes went to the young woman at the top of the ramp, who was pulling the black cloak she was wearing about herself tightly. Aleron rolled his eyes at this, horn lighting up faintly. The wind suddenly blew through the dock, managing to snag the girl's hood down to reveal her features. Gray hair fell down to the middle of her back, and a blood red horn that was curved like a blade poked out from beneath her princess cut bangs. Her eyes were a brilliant viridian, and she looked down at the group with a tiny bit of trepidation. "I told you I'm bad at meeting new people because of my appearance, Al…" She murmured, blushing. "And stop doing that to my hood!"

"I don't see why," Ancè said with a huff. "You are absolutely _gorgeous_, darling!"

"Who's this?" Aurora asked, peering around her brother curiously.

"Her name's Penumbra," Aleron said, smiling as the new girl came down to join them. He turned enough to face Penumbra as she approached, but he still had one arm around his twin since she didn't want to let go yet. "She's been living with Cadance and Shining, and she's been helping me with my research."

Tyr nodded. "Cadance thought it was a good idea for her to come along with us and see new places."

"Miss Cadance thought meeting Aleron's family would be nice," Penumbra offered. "Plus, she thought it might be good for me to get away from Mister Armor for a bit…"

"Fair enough," Tyr said, patting his son's shoulder. "Why don't you kids get her acquainted with the castle while I go make sure your mother is okay?"

"It will be nice to see my sisters," Aleron said. "And Vibrant and the others, if they're around."

Tyr smiled and nodded. "Carver?"

The Shaper arrived then, exiting from one of the nearby walls. She spared Aurora and amused look and a wink before turning to bow to her Lord. "Yes, Lord Tyr?"

"Get a room prepared for Penumbra here, preferably close to Aleron's. Seems she's rather shy."

Carver nodded. "Fair enough. I'll ask a couple of the Changelings to do it."

"Thank you very much," Tyr said, as she turned to leave. He turned to his kids and Penumbra. "I'm off. Gotta go rub your mother's upset tummy. Catch you kids at dinner time."

Followed by the Shaper engineers, Tyr left then. Aleron turned to Aurora. "So? Where's the rest of my siblings?"

Aurora frowned slightly, before closing her eyes and letting her horn light up. "…Jubilee is in Ponyville. Cori is headed this way, Audio is in her studio, and—oh, that's right!"

"Hm?"

"You haven't met our newest little sister!"

Aleron gave his twin a flat look. "Another sister? Seriously?"

"There's also our new aunt," Ancè pointed out, adjusting her glasses. "I'll leave you two to it. I need to talk to Grace."

That got the young man's attention, a single eyebrow raising. "Talk to Grace? About what?"

Ancè fixed her brother with her own piercing silver eyes for just a moment. A slew of emotions ran through her eyes in the span of a second, before she smiled and shook her head. "…Another time, dear brother. A day where we aren't enjoying something good happening."

With that she left, violet tail swaying as she went. Aleron glanced at Aurora, who shook her head with a sad smile. "…We've dealt with a few… trying things that I couldn't really write to you about, Al."

They began walking, Penumbra falling in behind them as they left the dock and made their way back to the main part of the castle. She was watching the Changeling maids as they went, wary and nervous. Aleron however, was much more interested in questioning his sister. "So… what have I missed?"

"Well, I don't know if you got any of my letters," Aurora began, frowning at him, "So I'll just go over the big stuff. Sunset had a baby and all—that's our newest sister—about a year and a half after you left for the Crystal Empire."

Aleron chuckled. "Dad certainly didn't waste any time."

"More like Sunset got pregnant super easy," Aurora said, giggling. "But little Rose is so cute and sweet and adorable! And don't get me started on our new aunt Hlin."

"Oh, that's her name?"

"Yep! Hair just like grandma's, and eyes as bright silver as ours. She's a very stern little girl, although her laugh is _adorable_!"

Aleron smiled at his sister's animated expressions as she talked. He truly had missed this—how bright his sister could make everything seem. She seemed to notice his amused smile as she spoke, a question in her eyes. "Hm? Oh, don't mind me, I'm just realizing I missed you more than I thought."

Aurora smiled, before reaching out to hook her arm in his. "We're twins, Al. Any long period without each other, and it just makes us feel off."

"Well, I know I'm going to see plenty of you while I'm here," Aleron remarked, getting another laugh from his sister. He glanced back at Penumbra, who was watching them in confusion. "She's like this rather often. I'm used to it."

"On that note…" Aurora shot a suspicious look Penumbra's way. "What are you to my brother?"

The gray haired girl blinked, before blushing darkly. "Oh, we're… I help him with his research…"

"Oh?"

"She's able to naturally use Dark Magic," Aleron pointed out. He frowned at his sister. "And we're only research partners. Nothing else, before you go starting rumors."

Aurora rolled her eyes and swatted him with a wing, before giggling. "Just making sure. You know Evie asked about you the other day?"

That got Aleron to perk up a bit. "She did? Really?"

"Yeah, I told her about your research and she was really interested." Aurora glanced back at him. "You know… she's gotten really pretty. Like… _really_ pretty."

Penumbra blinked, before turning to Aleron. "The machinist you told me about?"

Aleron blushed lightly. "Yeah. Evening Star. The machinist. I'll have to go see her to…er… thank her for the watch she sent me."

"Oh, your birthday the year before last, right?"

He nodded, reaching into his pocket and extracting an expertly made pocket watch. It was a bright gold, with the star and gear symbol belonging to the new Element of Magic etched in the back. "It was a very thoughtful gift."

Aurora nodded. "Well, go see her later. I should be able to give Penumbra a tour of the castle while you do!"

It seemed to confuse the gray haired girl, but Aleron got the message—it would be better to see Evie without another girl following him around. "…Right."

"Mmhm!"

Penumbra frowned. "I'm not following…"

Any attempts at helping her ignorance was cut off as they entered the main hall, for a voice called out to them as soon as they arrived. "Aurora! Aleron!"

The twins and their companion looked towards the voice, spotting a very skinny girl coming towards them at a brisk pace. Her skin was black like the Changelings, but only one of her eyes was the Changeling bright green. The other was pure silver. She was clad in what looked like a business suit, hair tied back in a low ponytail, and there was a choker about her neck with a white half-heart charm on it. At her side was a short girl with black hair with red highlights and eyes that were silver with a hint of red. Her fur was a dark gold. Aurora brightened. "Cori!"

"You nearly ran me over on your way through!" Cori growled, frowning at her. "Both me and Rose!"

"You were going too fast, big sister," little Rose said, glancing between Aurora and Aleron. The sole male son of the Winter family looked over his newest sister. She had Sunset's set and coloration to her features, but those silver eyes made it no question who her father was. Cori on the other hand only had one silver eye to her name—other than that she was her mother's daughter.

Aurora chuckled nervously. "Heh… sorry girls. I was… in a rush?"

"Too see dad no doubt," Cori said, folding her arms. Her eyes flicked to Aleron momentarily before going back to the female twin. "Still, I can understand your excitement, but you didn't even know Aleron was with him."

"That is true," Aleron said. "Dad kept saying it would be a big surprise for you."

Cori finally smiled. "Well, it is a very pleasant surprise, Al. It's been far too long."

Aleron blinked. "…You've matured quite a lot, Cori."

The half-Changeling shrugged. "We had to."

"…Another cryptic statement that requires more explaining."

"…Suffice it to say, we've had a lot to do after Canterlot fell," Cori said stiffly. "And while you were in the Crystal Empire, more of it piled up."

Aleron winced. "Cori, I didn't think…"

"I'm not blaming you, Aleron," his sister replied softly, shaking her head. The Winter Family empath gave him a weak smile. "And really, you being in the Crystal Empire kinda helped. Sometimes I feel like we all relied on you a bit too much, after all. Really I…I'm… I have a lot on my mind today."

Before he could question it, Cori nodded slightly and turned to walk away. Aurora caught his arm before he could follow. "…Cori's not been her usual self since…"

Aleron frowned. "Since?"

"Did something happen?" Penumbra asked softly.

Aurora scratched her head, looking around. However it was Rose who replied. "Big sister Cori and her girlfriend had a fight."

"Rose!" Aurora admonished, but Aleron was already surprised and curious.

"Cori and Goldie had a fight?" He asked, confused. "…About what?"

"Goldie said she was upset that Cori was always so busy around the castle," Aurora explained now that the secret was out. "They weren't spending a whole lot of time together. Cori's been helping Aunt Chrys with the Changelings, and other stuff. Goldie stayed at the farm mostly, and never came with her parents when we got apples from the Apple Farm. She brought it up one day to Cori who suggested that Goldie live here, in Stonehearth—"

"She asked Goldie to move in with her?"

Aurora shrugged. "Ponyville is… not really all that populated anymore. A lot of people moved here instead, considering their homes were destroyed before the siege. Plus, we're a big city now and not even that far away from where Ponyville used to be. Anyway, Goldie said she couldn't do that to Applejack and the rest of her family. Applejack and her family are still living on their farm, by the way."

"I can't imagine them leaving to be honest…"

"Goldie said as much. But apparently Cori insinuated that Bramley was mainly the reason, and Goldie didn't deny it."

"Oh. This again?"

"Well, it's more like… She says she doesn't want to abandon Bramley. So after arguments about that… they broke up."

"They did?"

Aurora nodded. "Yeah. We were all really surprised. Cori was crying for almost a day straight, and then…"

"Then?"

"Then we found out the really bad stuff…"

Aleron frowned. "…What?"

"…Last time there was an Apple family reunion, Cori wanted to go and patch things up. In the meantime, Goldie apparently hit it off with one of her adoptive cousins. They got along really well, from what I heard. So well that Cori walked in on them… making out."

"…Oh. Ouch. Cori's taking it… better than I expected."

Aurora shrugged. "I think she's really just suppressing it. She's been working a lot more lately. Goldie and the others aren't talking about it either. But Considering Cori is half of the Element of Kindness now…"

"I'll file it away for something I'll look into later," Aleron muttered, frowning. "Cori's got a good reason to be upset, but we can't have the Elements splintered."

His sister gave him an appreciative look, before kneeling down beside Rose. "See Rosie? I told you your big brother is dependable."

Rose looked up at Aleron for a moment. "…You're right," She agreed softly.

Aurora grinned up at Aleron, who rolled his eyes. "Isn't she adorable?"

"She's cute, I'll give you that," Aleron said, kneeling. He met his newest sister's gaze with his own. "Nice to meet you, Rose. Is that your full name, or a nickname?"

"Mommy named me Roselyn," Rose replied.

"A very pretty name. Rose, do you mind opening your mouth for me?" The little girl didn't hesitate, opening her mouth wide enough for her older brother to peer into. He found four little fangs in her mouth, sharp and pure ivory white. Aleron nodded to himself and gestured for her to close her mouth. "So you are a vampire too."

"Daddy says that since he's a Chaos Mage it messed with something in Mommy before she gave birth to me," Rose offered after closing her mouth. "Mommy was surprised and happy when my fangs came in!"

"Hm. And how do you…?"

"Ancè and Grace bring blood from the clinic, and Sunset prepares it," Aurora answered, putting her hands on her little sister's shoulders. "We haven't… felt safe letting her drink from anyone alive just yet."

Aleron gave his little sister a smile before standing back up. "I can understand that. And she knows what it is?"

"I know it's blood," Rose said, speaking up. "Mommy and Daddy said they wanted me to know."

Her brother gave her a curious look, before nodding. "Alright then. Sorry for making it seem like I was talking down to you, Rose."

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean any harm." She tilted her head slightly. "Momma Luna always said you were really analytical."

"…What."

Aurora was beaming. She snatched up a giggling Rose and hugged her "She's so _cute~_!"

"And very smart," Penumbra murmured.

Aleron rolled his eyes, but couldn't resist the smile touching at his lips. "Well then. I guess I should get settled in at least before—"

"ALERON!"

"…Crap."

A pink blur slammed into the young man, knocking him away from the two girls. Magic flared up, and a bubble emerged into being, slowing them in midair to reveal Aleron holding a happy, bubbly, and very pink girl with the biggest smile on her face. Jubilee Winter hugged her half-brother like he was going to vanish at any moment. "Al, Al, Al, Al, Al! I missed you, I missed you, I missed you, I missed you!"

"Missed…you too… Jubilee…" Aleron choked out from the death hug. "Can… Let go!"

"Oops! Sorry!" She let him go and he sucked in a huge breath. Jubilee grinned brightly. "But I missed you!"

"Don't kill him because of that," Aurora chuckled.

Aleron took a moment to look at his other sister—Jubilee had always been a happy sort, and that near permanent smile was barely marred by the ash stains on her bright clothing and soot marks on her cheeks. She was the other member of their family that had heterochromia, with one of her eyes a bright blue and the other the pure silver of the Winter family. Both glittered with mirth from behind a poof of pink and black hair. Unlike the other girls in the family, Jubilee hadn't developed a model's body, coming out much curvier and slightly fuller than the rest. Didn't stop her from being ridiculously strong and ridiculously cute. "…Hi Jubilee."

"Hi! When did you get back home?"

"Just a little while ago," Aleron explained, getting up and dusting himself off. "I haven't even gotten to—"

"Oh! Who's your friend?" Jubilee had already moved on, moving to look at Penumbra. Suddenly she gasped loudly, turning to her brother with a shocked look. "You got a _girlfriend_!?"

Penumbra flushed darkly, looking away. Aurora giggled madly, even little Rose cracking a smile. Aleron sighed, rolling his eyes. "She's my _research partner_, Jubilee."

"Nothing more, nothing less," Aurora intoned.

Jubilee gave her brother a critical gaze, before simply smiling warmly. "Okay! Welcome to Stonehearth, girl I don't know!"

"I-It's Penumbra," Penumbra said softly, smiling at the happy girl. "But occasionally my friends call me Penny."

"Ooh, your friends?"

Penumbra—or Penny as Jubilee would no doubt start calling her—blushed again and looked away. "Well… Princess Cadance and Aleron really…"

Aleron sniffed. "She doesn't go out much."

Jubilee nodded in understanding. "Oh, so you two have something in common."

"…Shut up." All the girls except for Penumbra laughed at that, while Aleron gave his half-sister a flat look. "Whatever, Jubilee. How about you girls let me settle in before you all start teasing me?"

"Al's got a point," Aurora said, smiling at her twin. "Al's been travelling for a long time, so we need to give him a little space. Plus, Penny's never been here before either. So give them time, okay?"

Jubilee frowned, and folded her arms. "Okay… but you know when my mom gets home she's going to want to throw a party, right…?"

"I think all of us would want to throw a party," a gentle voice that flowed like moonlight said warmly. Both Aleron and Aurora froze at the sound, before they both smiled at each other and turned to face the voice. Luna Winter, former Princess of Equestria and now Lady of Stonehearth, entered the hall with her husband close on her heels. She had dark blue fur and hair the appearance of the night sky that fell well past her hips in an ever flowing motion. Clad in silver and dark blues she was the very image of a gentle moonlit night. She was a head and a few inches shorter than Tyr, but elegant and mysterious all at the same time. A warm smile grew on her face as she opened her arms wide. "Not going to come hug your mother, my little Crescent Moons?"

Both Aleron and Aurora moved quickly to her, letting their mother pull them into a tight embrace. The elder Alicorn's wings wrapped around them as well—the most possessive kind of hug a mother could truly give. Aleron took in that peculiar scent of his mother's—blueberries and morning dew mixed into one. "…I missed you, mom," He sighed into her hair.

"I missed you as well, my son," Luna said, still using her proper way of speaking. But the love in her voice and actions was true. She let them both go to reach up and caress his cheek. "Ever since you went to the Crystal Empire I had looked forward to seeing you again."

"You know once I had gotten settled and everything I'd have started coming back more," Aleron pointed out.

"I am well aware—Cadance sent me letters about your progress with Sunburst and even teaching little Flurry Heart magical control." She gave him a quick look over, frowning slightly. "Although she neglected to mention how handsome you had grown to be. Seems your father's genes are starting to kick in, hm?"

Aleron blushed a little bit, embarrassed. "Mom…"

"You have to admit," Tyr chuckled, moving to joining the group. "It has been quite a while since she's seen you, son. You should have expected this much."

"Fair enough," Aleron admitted.

"And now we're a family again!" Aurora giggled, hugging her twin.

Aleron gave his sister a disparaging look before smiling. "Yeah… I'm home."

–x–


	2. Chapter 2

**Greetings again! I'm so out of practice that I forgot a footnote last time around. No matter. This is a late posting simply because I had no internet. Well, I had it, but it wasn't consistent and I didn't want to try and upload and have it fail or whatever.**

**Anyway.**

**R3activepaladin: First! (lol) But thanks for the kind words and for your excitement to read Light in the Stars! The Library welcomes all Readers, and knowing you were already happy even before opening the chapter restores my writing zeal just that bit more.**

**But I won't dither on much longer: There's a story to be told. **

* * *

Chapter 2: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder…

Aleron wandered the halls of Wolfhome Castle without a real destination in mind. After being treated to a massive celebratory party by Pinkamena upon discovering he had come home, he had actually somehow managed to get some sleep. Penumbra had been interrogated, questioned, and quickly absorbed into the gaggle of girls that Aleron considered his sisters. He had been lucky that Rose was more like him than the others—she had spent most of her time reading during the party in her mother's lap since both vampires weren't fans of crazy parties but still too social to stay away. All throughout the night, Aleron could swear his twin's eyes had never left him, that tiny happy smile on her face every time their eyes met growing each moment. She was a lot happier now that he was back, he could sense. He wouldn't admit it, but he felt a lot better now that he was near her.

Stonekin greeted him as he walked, along with the few Ursa he passed. A couple Wulfen (tall, lanky wolves that were partly humanoid) recognized him as well and greeted him. It wasn't until he happened across a young Stonekin in a green cloak seated outside of a door with a book in her lap that he finally stopped. She glanced up as he approached. Upon recognizing him, she stood. "Ah, Wolf Prince Aleron. Is there something you needed?"

"That's my title around here?" Aleron asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Either that or Cursebreaker, Little Prince." She smiled, before bowing slightly. "Warren, at your service."

"Nice to meet you, Warren. I don't remember the Shapers having green cloaks before…?"

"Ah, that. It's the color of the Home Guard. We protect the city and the peace. And typically… we assist you while you are here in the castle."

Aleron raised an eyebrow. "Assist?"

"If you need something done a Changeling can't do, we're here."

"Ah."

Warren hooked a thumb over her shoulder at the door she was sitting beside. "This is a training room your father ordered built, by the way. Your sister is currently inside."

"Ro's in there?" Aleron looked up at the door, not bothering to ask how the Shaper had guessed he'd wanted to know. "Doing what?"

"Training, I believe. I would spar with her, but she extremely outclasses me."

"I see…"

Warren looked him over. "…Why don't you go in and spar with her? I think she'd appreciate it."

Aleron glanced over at her, before looking back to the door. "I'll go in and see her, but I don't know about sparring."

He pushed his way through the door, coming into a rather large room with nothing in it except for a kneeling Aurora dressed in workout clothes, a simple tank top and shorts and her hair tied into a high ponytail. With what little she was wearing, it was made even more apparent that his twin was the physically stronger of the two—defined muscles flexed and relaxed with every motion the young woman made. That and it was obvious his sister had become a woman—she seemed to take after whatever genes that their Aunt Celestia carried. Tall, slender, yet strong, with developing womanly curves. With a ghost of a smile Aleron thought she had killer looks to go along with her killer skills.

She was in the middle of the room, bent over at the waist and stretching. As he watched, she went through a motion of stretches, moving every limb and section of her body to the maximum before letting them relax. He started walking towards her after a moment, and upon hearing his footsteps he saw her ears perk up. "…Aleron?"

He couldn't help but smile. "You knew it was me?"

"Of course. Even six years apart hasn't dulled my twin sense." She jumped nimbly to her feet, turning to face him with a beaming smile on her face. Aleron smiled as well—his sister had an infectious grin. "Did you need something?"

"Just seeing what you were up to. Are you training alone?"

"Sorta. I was doing an exercise dad taught me—since I'm not good with offensive magic, I'm trying to find other ways to use my magical ability as an Alicorn. Haven't really bothered trying all that much other than teleportation though."

"Oh?" Aleron walked over to his sister. She sat back down, and he joined her. "Have you figured anything out?"

Aurora looked thoughtful for a moment, before pointing to his hand. "Mind making a ball of magic for me?"

Aleron raised an eyebrow, before lifting his hand and manifesting a ball of pale grey magic above his palm. "Here, I guess. What exactly are you going to do?"

"Just wait." Aurora fixed her silver eyes on the ball of magic. Her horn lit up, but not with its usual blue glow. Instead, it was almost as if it was… _not_ a color. Unlike normal magic, with gave off a noticeable feeling in the air that anyone sensitive to it could sense it, there was… nothing. Just a sense of emptiness. Aleron was so focused on that that he almost missed the sensation of his magic cutting off. Aurora smiled at his shocked look. "Takes some focus, but it works."

"How did you… it's like you cut off my flow of mana or something…?" Aleron frowned and flexed his magical muscle experimentally, tossing a fireball across the room. The stone wall absorbed the blow, only a burn mark left behind. "…Not permanent, at least."

"I'd have to focus for that," Aurora admitted. Then, she grinned. "I figured it out a couple years ago. I can temporarily create a null zone for magic around me about a few feet in any direction that prevents all kinds of casting. It even stops channels too!"

"How… how does that even work?"

Aurora shrugged. "Not completely sure. Grace tried to explain it to me once—it's like I'm reversing the flow of magic and 'drawing in' instead of 'letting flow'. Apparently my Alicorn magic works… backwards. Sort of. I'm not magically strong like Mom or Aunt Celestia… but I do have a massive capacity for magic. When I channeled my magic to you to kill the Nightmare Curse, I was pulling in not just my own magic, but all the latent magic in the air around me. And apparently…"

Aleron raised an eyebrow. He remembered the moment vividly—forming the physical construct for his Rend Reality spell had been beyond his own capabilities. In a risky move, he'd used a spell he learned from the tome the Nightmare Curse came from that allowed one spell caster to drain mana from another magically attuned creature like a battery of sorts. Aurora hadn't been able to move properly for at least half an hour afterwards. "…Apparently?"

His twin laughed nervously. "We messed up my magical circuits, so to speak. Rewrote them somehow. That's how Grace put it at least. Not only can I channel magic like a normal unicorn or Alicorn, but I can… _reverse_ the flow. And essentially destroy the essence of what makes a spell a spell. Aunt Twilight is calling it 'Null Magic' until we really understand it."

Aleron frowned. "It doesn't… hurt you or anything?"

"Silly, I wouldn't be practicing using it if it hurt. I accidentally used it one day when I was hunting down a rogue mage that was trying to break into the Gate. Since the Stonekin don't use magic, I just sat around where we thought he was and focused on trying to find him. I was trying to use a locator spell that Aunt Twilight taught me, but instead I apparently blanketed the area he was hiding in with a null zone. He came running out crying about his head hurting and to 'make it stop'. Apparently he'd been trying his hardest to cast magic."

"It's like wearing a null ring," Aleron reasoned. "The harder you try to fight against it, the worse it is. You can actually make an effect like that…?"

Aurora shrugged. "I mean, the best I can do otherwise is throwing magic bolts or teleporting, and I can't do anything more spectacular than that. Oh, that and manipulating currents."

"Currents?"

"Something Dad told me about. You know how Fenrir isn't much of a spellcasting spirit, right?"

"Right. Focuses on physical ability and all that."

"Yeah. Turns out I can use the mana in my body the same way as he does to increase my strength and durability—that I've been doing so unintentionally for a long time now," Aurora said with a laugh. "Considering normal little girls can't head butt fully armored knights with barely a bruise, seems like I've always been a walking tank."

Aleron chuckled. He'd seen a lot of his sister's uncanny resilience when they were younger. She'd been hit by and ran into all number of hard objects and walked away with nothing more than a scratch. Mostly the things she ran into got the worse end of the trade. To this day she was also the only person to go blade to blade with their father and take the full force of the Wolf Lord's attacks without flinching. He smiled at his sister. "Seems so."

"Oh!" Aurora perked up suddenly, her tail beginning to swish with excitement. "You could spar with me!"

Her brother raised an eyebrow. "Ro… I might be doing _some_ physical training, but it's not enough to match you in a fight."

"Then use your magic!" She smiled. "You know I can take it, and if we cause too much damage, then we'll stop. Come on, it'll be fun! We haven't trained or sparred together in so long!"

Aleron sighed. "I still don't think is going to go as well as you want it to…"

Aurora pouted, before scooting over to lean against him. "Come on, just for today? If it's that bad, I won't ask again."

"…Fine. But we keep it contained, got it?"

"Got it." Aurora jumped back to her feet and skipped away a short distance, waiting for her brother to stand up. She assumed a fighting stance. "Ready?"

Aleron rolled his shoulders before letting his magic flow, feeling the prickle across his skin at the motion. "…Ready whenever you are."

Aurora's smile went away, replaced with a more focused gaze, her silver eyes taking stock of her brother from across the room. Her brother replied in kind, meeting her gaze just as evenly. Aleron kept his distance, knowing that his sister's fighting style—despite the lack of sword and shield she was known for—required her to be up close. As long as he kept her at a distance like this—

His eyes snapped into focus as Aurora suddenly shot forward, covering half the distance between them with one bound. There was no joy on his sister's face, only cold calculation. Steeling himself, he met her gaze with his own. Taking a single step back he threw up his hands, gray silver aura flaring to life as a shield. However fast he was Aurora was just a tiny bit faster, wings flaring to slow her to a halt before quickly changing direction to dash to the right. Aleron threw himself back, flinging his arm wide and throwing shards of ice in her direction. Aurora ducked under the attack, still seeking to close distance. Her brother could only keep her at bay for so long, and she was bearing down on him with each exchange.

Aleron grimaced, and threw up a wall of ice. It stopped Aurora for as long as it took for her to duck around it, only to meet her twin brother with his horn alight with inky blackness iconic of dark magic. She stared at him in surprise for a moment before she was blasted back to the far wall by a torrent of blackness. "Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Aleron said with a grin, cutting off the flow.

"No, I wasn't," Aurora said, dusting herself off. She hopped to her feet and finally grinned. "Okay, how about this then?"

Aleron blinked as his sister changed stance once again, taking a stance closer to a predatory crouch. Her smile went feral, and her canines seemed to become more prominent. "What… what are you…?"

"Something Fenrir told me any of Dad's kids can do," Aurora said. "Part of Dad's Chaos magic is in each of us. Primarily the blood of the Great Wolf. Meaning…"

Aleron crouched. "…We're all part wolf."

"Right!" With an almost excited bark, she leapt towards him. He readied himself to defend again, but this time Aurora seemed to shimmer and then vanish completely.

"What the—?"

"RAWR!"

Aleron whirled around, only for Aurora to appear, hand snapping forward into his chest. Aleron grabbed her wrist and twisted, pulling her forward. His sister countered by stepping into the attack, hooking her foot behind his, and jerking him backwards. A simple takedown, and one that someone not trained in close quarters combat like Aleron wasn't able to counter. He fell back, Aurora bearing down on him with her weight to smash him bodily into the ground. But he could recover. Letting his sister go gave him enough space to kick out and catch her in the side. The blow forced her off, rolling aside. The force of the kick provided enough force to push him at least onto his stomach, where he could push himself up to his feet. But now Aurora was at effective range, and the predatory grin on her face only grew.

She launched into a flurry of attacks, each barely blocked by her staggering brother. Aleron was definitely on the back foot, with only his magic to even things out. He could keep his sister off of him well enough, but Aurora's controlled wildness made it difficult to push her off. He dropped back into a defensive stance, looking for an opening to counter. His sister pressed harder, landing more and more attacks. "Come on, Al! Fight back!"

"Hard to do when you're on top of me!" Aleron grunted, feeling a fist impact his side. This had rapidly turned from a quick sparring session to a one sided beat down.

"Stop making excuses and Fight. Back!"

She punctuated the statement with a brutal strike to his stomach, which made Aleron double up in pain. Aurora hadn't hit him with full force, but it was enough to make him stagger away. "Ugh! Damn it!"

Aurora hopped back a step. "You need to fight back, Al! I won't always be there to cover your back!"

"You know I can't hurt you, Aurora!" Aleron glared at his sister, wondering when it had becoming some kind of training for the future instead of a friendly sparring match. "You're my twin, and my best friend—I can't act like I'm going to kill you!"

"Then fight like I'm going to kill _you!_" Aurora shot towards him, silver eyes bright and her hand reared back for a strike.

Aleron stared at her in surprise, before snarling right back, his horn aglow with the un-light of dark magic. Before he had even completed the thought, a beam of pure darkness shot from his horn into Aurora's chest like a needle and blasted her clear across the room and into the far wall with a loud crack. It only took a second before he realized just what he had done and gasped. "A-Aurora! Are you okay?"

Aurora groaned quietly, picking herself up from where she had fallen. She held up a hand as Aleron rushed to her side. "I'm… okay. Sorry. For snapping at you."

"I should be apologizing to you," Aleron said, frowning as his sister got to her feet shakily. He let out a relieved sigh as she didn't look to be injured. "I just blasted you with Dark Magic, as if I was trying to kill you. Are you… are you okay?"

"Like I said, Al…" She grinned up at him, straightening up and stretching. "I'm tough. Much tougher than you think, it seems."

Aleron gave her a flat look and folded his arms. "Can you blame me? I've never used Dark Magic like that on anyone. And I would really hate myself if I hurt you somehow."

Aurora smiled at him, giggling softly. "I'm fine, Al. A little sweaty and sore, but that's normal."

"What was that all about anyway?" Aleron asked after a moment. "I wasn't expecting you to get all… serious on me."

His twin was silent for a long minute, before she slid to a seated position against the wall. "…I haven't been near you for six years, Al. Six long years. You know how terrified I've been? That something might happen to you while I wasn't around?"

"…I can take care of myself, Ro."

"I know you can, but none of us are perfect," She shot back, frowning. "I always told you—I'm your shield, your back up, your partner. Wouldn't you worry about me if the positions were reversed?"

"…Yeah," Aleron agreed, sitting down beside her. They sat in silence for a minute, before Aurora leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. Aleron didn't flinch, but he rested his head against hers. The twins shared a quiet moment together before Aleron finally spoke again. "…Thanks for all the letters you and the others sent."

"Even Jubilee's?"

"I made sure to check for explosives each time it was her turn."

Aurora giggled. "It was her idea to take turns. We thought that if you heard from one of us every other day or so you'd know we were always thinking about you. We were even reminding each other when it was our turn."

"Ha. I can't imagine any of you forgetting."

"Ancè actually forgot the most!"

"I did no such thing," The elegant voice of their half-sister pointed out. The twins glanced to the door to see the rest of their siblings enter, all in casual clothes. Well, casual except for the full suit and skirt Ancè was wearing. She gave an imperious flip of her hair. "I spent more time reminding Cori when it was her turn."

The Changeling shrugged, long viridian hair hiding her Changeling-green eye. "Helping mom run a small army of maids is a lot more demanding than you think!"

Rose sniffed, walking over to Aurora and planting herself in her sister's lap. "You and auntie Chrissy have a mental connection with them all. Isn't it easy to keep track of them?"

"Imagine if everyone in the room started talking at the same time," Cori pointed out, sitting next to Al and leaning against the wall. "That's what it's like tapping into the Hive-Mind. It takes my mom or I to get them all to be quiet for a bit so we can actually get stuff done." She smiled at Aleron. "But I always had them done before hand."

"I always liked writing you letters!" Jubilee said, grinning as she sat across from them. Ancè joined them, the hairdresser taking especial care to smooth out her skirt as she sat beside her sister.

A couple more faces peeked into the room, belonging to Accord and a light pink girl with milk white hair. "Ah, seems the congregation is happening."

"Accord?" Aleron raised an eyebrow. "Was this all planned?"

"Everyone kept asking me where you and your sister were," Warren called from out in the hall. "So I told them."

"We all had free time for once," Cori said, shooting a glance to one wall. She rolled her eyes before sighing. "…As long as I don't have to fix something…"

Accord and the other girl entered, the Seer in her usual white and the other in more modern clothes that gave off the impression of a DJ. An image also completed by the headphones she wore around her neck with a violet triplet marked into them. She smiled. "Hello Aleron. Happy to see you home safe."

Aleron smiled. "Hey Audio. How have you been?"

"So-so," She replied. "My music is doing good. Did your research go okay?"

"Still doing it. Kinda sorta taking a break."

Aurora shot him a sharp look. "Sorta? What do you mean by that?"

Aleron shrugged again. "Well, I was planning to look into the Castle of the Two Sisters while I was here. Seeing as though it was where the Nightmare Curse took control of Mom…"

"…Oh."

He gave his twin a short glance before lightly punching her in the arm. "But that can wait. I'm not passing up spending time with my sisters. Plus Accord and Audio. Of course."

Accord laughed lightly. "I thought we were close enough to be considered family as well, Aleron? Or was that promise you made me in Canterlot made in the heat of the moment?"

He frowned, before shaking his head. "…I don't go back on my word, Accord. You know that."

"I know, I'm only teasing."

Rose leaned back against Aurora's chest to look up at her sister. "Big brother is popular, isn't he?"

Aurora smiled and gently patted her head. "Yes he is. He hasn't been home for a while—he was gone before you were born."

"…Mm." She looked over at Aleron. "You missed my first birthday!"

Aleron chuckled. "Sorry Rose. I won't miss the next one—when is it?"

"A couple weeks from now," Jubilee said happily, throwing up her hands and throwing mini fireworks into the air. Everyone stared at her in confusion. "…What?"

"…Barring my sister's propensity to defy logic," Ancè said, tearing her eyes away, "We already have some plans for it. You will be staying, correct Aleron?"

Aleron nodded. "I already let Cadance and Shining know that I'm going to be here for a while. I think I'd like to be here for my newest little sister's birthday."

He had to admit, seeing Rose's face light up with happiness was worth it. She beamed and hopped out of Aurora's lap to hug him. "Thanks big brother!"

"Aw. Of course Rose."

Cori giggled. "Just met her the other day, and already treating her like a Princess."

Aleron shot a dirty look at her, Rose deciding to sit in his lap now. "Hey, she's my sister and she's adorable. Can you blame me?"

"Funny, Dad said the same thing about Aunt Hlin."

"It must just be a trait of our male family members," Ancè said, smiling. "But a very welcome one, to be perfectly honest."

"So," Aleron began, reaching up and gently patting Rose's head. "What have you all been up to? Obviously you've been rather busy while I was gone."

"That's true," Accord said. "You've been gone for many of the major changes we've made around here."

Aurora nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I guess I can start off. I'm head of the Vanguard now, although it's a bit different now than during the siege."

Aleron looked at her curiously. "Different? How so?"

"Well, you already saw Carver. She's the captain of the Home Guard now, in charge of protecting the city and the peace. Well, that and doubling as Captain of Dad's personal guard. Etch is the new drillmaster. The Vanguard are still the elites, but the ones you know are doing other things now."

"Aurora has done an excellent job making sure they're the best of the best," Cori said, smiling at her half-sister. "She has all of us looking out for potential recruits."

"I like having your input!" Aurora complained.

"Speaking of input," Aleron glanced over at Cori. "You're helping Aunt Chrissy with the maids?"

"Pretty much," Cori said while leaning back against the wall. "Mom handles it mostly, but when there's specific things that need to be done, I get a few and handle it. I've been told I'm rather good with logistics as a whole."

"Cori's good at what she does," Jubilee said with a little giggle. "All the maids and butlers work so much harder when Cori is around!"

"That's because Changeling drones naturally work better with those of higher intelligence near them." Cori rolled her eyes. "Regardless, Mom and I are Dad's eyes and ears in the city. Changelings are so common place now that no one really pays them any attention. Anything errant or interesting they hear gets back to us."

Aleron gave Cori an appreciative look. "My little sister, the spymaster. Who would have guessed."

"There's technically two of us then," Ancè pointed out. "Although I spend most of my time working in the local hair salon, people do talk. Relaxed environments tend to help with that."

"Understandable. Cadance always like to talk about the most random things whenever she forced me to go with her to the spa."

"Oh, so you did go!"

Aleron blinked, before blushing lightly. "Only a couple times. And because Cadance asked me to. Giving that she gave me a place to stay and access to all of their information on Dark Magic, I kinda… owed her."

Ancè gave him a sinister smirk. "Did you… enjoy it?"

"…Sort of."

"Hah!"

Aleron cleared his throat, ignoring the majority of his sisters as they giggled at him. "Anyway… Jubilee? I'm actually kind of terrified to ask, but…"

"I help the miners!" Jubilee said happily. "Auntie Vanna built me a workshop so I can practice my explosives and detonation practices and not hurt anybody. Whenever we come up to places that need a more… heavy handed approach, they call me!"

Ancè sighed and gave Aleron a slight smile. "It seems we were the ones blessed with subtlety, dear brother."

"I can be subtlety!" Rose complained.

"No you can't," Aurora said, booping the littlest member of their family on the nose. "Your fangs start showing more when you're upset or thirsty."

"Foo."

"And I don't think you even know what that word means!"

"Ah, there you kids are," a voice said from the door. They all turned to see a very amused Sunset Shimmer leaning into the training room. The elder vampiress was almost just an older version of Rose, with longer flame styled hair and obviously much more developed body. She wore casual clothing, with a flame design in the center of her shirt and a Stonehearth pin on the waist of her skirt. On one of her fingers was a golden ring with a dark ruby-like gem set in a teardrop shape, and around her neck was a black collar with the same symbol superimposed over a silver shield.

"Mommy!" Rose hopped up and went over to her mother, hugging her enthusiastically.

Sunset smiled and leaned down to pick her daughter up. "I was looking for you, Rosie. Spending time with your brother and sisters?"

"Mmhm! Aleron promised he'd be home for my birthday!"

"Oh really?" Sunset glanced over at Aleron. "You're going to be home for that long, Al?"

"I'm looking to be," Aleron informed her. He momentarily paused—seeing her with Rose perched on her hip, Sunset actually looked…motherly. Last he had seen of her was a very focused and somewhat pessimistic vampire who had found some kind of new lease on life in Tyr's herd. Aleron's most vivid memories of the vampiress were of her ripping out a knight's throat with her teeth and spitting blood into the eyes of his ally to blind him. Now, holding a child on her hip looked natural. "Especially since I've been gone for so long anyway, and there's some things I want to do around here."

Sunset smiled. "Good. I know Lunie's been missing you something fierce, and your dad's happy you're back too, even if he's not showing it."

Aleron blinked. "…Lunie?"

"Oh, shi… oops." Sunset coughed and laughed awkwardly. "Well… I mean, we've been in the herd for a while now, so it stands to reason we'd get used to each other…"

Jubilee grinned. "We're all one big happy family!"

"Speaking of happy, it's been a few hours," Sunset said, giving her daughter a critical gaze. "Are you feeling thirsty at all? Dry throat?"

Rose seemed thoughtful for a minute, before nodding. "I am a little thirsty…"

"Just a little? Or a lot?"

"Mm… Just a little."

"Then we'll get you something to drink. I don't want you trying to fight cravings yet," Sunset said, gently straightening out her daughter's messy hair. "We'll save that _after_ you drink from someone who's actually alive."

Rose nodded solemnly, before brightening up suddenly. "Did you get AB this time?"

Sunset chuckled. "Course I did, my little flower. I know it's your favorite."

She left then, carrying her daughter. Aleron frowned slightly. "…Guess I need to get used to that. The fact that we have vampires in the family."

"I asked Auntie Sunset if she'd ever turn someone," Jubilee said, leaning back against the wall. "She said she wouldn't unless it was the only way to save someone's life."

"I'm not exactly sure who'd want to be a vampire willingly," Accord pointed out softly. "Although I can see the benefits, the side effects don't seem worth it."

Aleron raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I don't think I'm that fond of living forever anyway."

"Aren't you part Alicorn though?" Audio asked. "And I think I overheard Miss Aleksa saying that Elementals live longer than normal people."

"So both Aurora's going to live super long," Jubilee deduced. "She's got both!"

Aurora was quiet for a bit. "…You know what guys, I'm going to go take a shower. I'm all sweaty, and I've got some stuff to do later. Talk to you around dinner time!"

With that, she hopped up to her feet and walked out of the training hall. They heard footsteps as Warren got up to follow after her. They all watched her go for a moment, before one of Accord's Seer Stones floated up near her head. "…Hm. I suppose she has the right idea… I have some things I need to do as well. We no doubt all have things to leave for?"

Cori looked like she was listening to something, before letting out a longsuffering sigh. "…I've got to go straighten out some numbskulls that took the wrong boxes to the Forge. I gotta go deal with it since Mom is busy. See you all around."

She and Accord got up as well, said their goodbyes, and went out as well. Audio mumbled something about working on her music and left as well. Jubilee had a sudden spark of inspiration and happily skipped out. Ancè was moving to leave when Aleron caught her arm. She turned a curious yet patient gaze his way. "Hm? Something you needed, dear brother?"

"Talk to me." Aleron stood up and folded his arms. Despite having the same father, Aleron still pulled out when it came to height. "…We hardly talked on the way back here. And you're not… yourself."

To his surprise, Ancè actually frowned. "Are any of us? You've been away from your family for six years, Aleron. Suffice it to say we've all had time to change in your absence, and would you really be able to tell the difference?"

"Aurora didn't change that much," Aleron pointed out, advancing on her. "And Jubilee really only has more access to high explosives. Cori's heartbroken, so we can't use her as an example. That just leaves you, Exuberance. What's eating at you?"

"Nothing you need worry about—!"

"Don't give me that, Exuberance Winter," Aleron shot back. "You're guarded. I saw your eyes when we got off the ship. You avoided me and Penny the whole way home—I almost didn't know you were on the ship!"

"…Aleron…"

"And now you're snapping back at me with venom. That's not the you I know."

"...I… I just…"

Aleron's face softened, and he reached out to gently take one of her hands. "I'm still your brother, Ancè. I'm here to help you."

Ancè stared at him for a long minute, her silver eyes searching his. After a period of thought, she lowered her head. "…I killed someone for the first time."

Her voice was soft, and so serious that Aleron could do nothing but stare at her for a moment. "You… you killed someone?"

She gave a soft nod and squeezed her hands into fists. "You… you heard about where Father picked me up?"

"Yeah… I overheard something about a dye trader or something?"

"Yes. I was meeting with an older man who owned a very large dye making operation. Since father had his own business to attend to, I was allowed to stay on his estate while I waited for him to come back. He was a very sweet old man, and I had no trouble with him—it was his son that I could not stand."

Aleron frowned ever so slightly. "…His son bothered you?"

"I was only there for a few days, but he hounded me almost relentlessly for my attention," Ancè scoffed. "As if I would give the time of day to a pretentious charlatan like him!"

Her brother smiled and gently patted her arm. "You've got good taste. I know."

"Of course. If I have learned anything from my mother, is that you must always carry yourself with distinction no matter the situation. So I did my best. However the dye maker's—his name was Palette, by the way—son always found a way to be near me or around me, asking me personal questions and invading my space. Then after I had been there for a couple days, I was finishing up some paperwork at night when he… paid me a visit."

Aleron felt Ancè reach up and grip his sleeves, tightening her hands into his clothes. "…What. What did he do?"

"He tried to get me to sleep with him," Ancè said with a shudder. "He claimed to want me for his wife, and when I refused, he tried to force me."

"…He did _what_?"

"When I refused, he became violent," Ancè said, lowering her head. "He hit me, and then pinned me to the floor. I fought back, but he had leverage, and I was exhausted. He tore my blouse and my skirt before I could do anything. I remembered something Grace had taught me—a paralyzing spell."

"You used it on him?"

Ancè nodded. "I'm just glad my panic-addled mind remembered. I hit him with it and I managed to blast him across the room. He… he didn't stop." She shivered. "So I picked up one of the books in the room—a very big one, a dictionary or something—and I hit him with it. In the head. Again. And again. And again. I kept going until one of Grace's agents found me."

"…I can't imagine it was pretty."

"I… I certainly didn't look like a lady beating in a poor boy's face with a dictionary. He was dead when Argent came to my room. She pulled me off of him and... I'm just glad Argent was a woman—had it been a man at that point I may have attacked him as well. Such a wild surge of bloodlust… It doesn't become me at all."

"I think you, Jubilee and Cori got some of Dad's wolf blood," Aleron said thoughtfully. "As far as I'm aware, Dad made his pact with Fenrir after Mom was pregnant with me and Aurora. So that means those traits went to you girls. But Ancè—you defended yourself. He was going to rape you. You had the right to protect yourself."

"But not kill him!" She protested. "I… I shouldn't have… I keep washing my hands and I just can't get them clean anymore…"

Aleron gave a soft sigh. "Ancè… do you remember… when the Diamond Dogs attacked?"

Ancè tensed up slightly, eyes narrowing at him. "Of course I do. Aurora almost died, how could I forget? I remember being so terrified…"

"That was the first time I had to kill someone. Another living, sentient thing. And I did it defending you and all my other sisters. I did it because I thought Aurora was dead."

Ancè winced. She obviously remembered the event as vividly as her brother did. "…I remember."

"But I did it because I was defending my sisters," Aleron said, looking at her. "Defending you. And I know I'd be willing to do it again."

"…I know." She gave him a small smile that was tinged with regret. "I won't ever forget, will I?"

"Forgetting is the worst thing you could do."

Ancè gave him a small laugh. Without warning, she shifted closer to lay her head against his chest. "…I'm glad you're home, Aleron. I haven't told anyone except father, and I…"

Aleron gave a wry smirk. "He'd have killed the guy if you hadn't."

"Precisely. Although I should speak to him—no offense to your comforting ability, dear brother, but sometimes a girl simply needs to hug her father."

"Something I'm not at all opposed to," Tyr's amused voice said from the doorway. Both Winter children turned to see their father there, a smile on his face. He grinned at their surprised looks. "Ran into Sunset on the way down to the Kiln. She told me you were down here."

Ancè quickly reached up and ran her hand through her hair, attempting to hide her face behind it. There were tiny dark lines beginning to form, as if she had almost began crying. "Oh, oh dear… Father, why must you always sneak up on me?"

Tyr gave her a little chuckle as he walked over to kneel in front of her. He reached up and gently wiped away the tear lines on his daughter's face. The Wolf Lord gave his daughter a warm and caring smile as he held her face in his hands. "Because that way I know you don't have time to try and put a mask on to hide your feelings. You and your mother are too alike in that regard."

"Sorry…" She sniffled a bit, before lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. Tyr blinked slightly in surprise—Ancè was not usually one for open displays of emotion, especially since she had gotten older. Instead of questioning or bringing attention to it, he simply wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. "I was absolutely terrified, not just because he attacked me, but because when… when I killed him… I _enjoyed _it…"

"I know the feeling, Ancè. It's a small part of me that went to you, and all I can do is help you deal with it."

"I…"

Tyr held her out at arms-length, giving her a tiny smile. He kissed her forehead gently. "I know, sweetie. I understand. If you want, I can have Fenrir talk to you about it. She's the concept of Carnage, after all."

"Perhaps… perhaps that might help. Thank you, father."

"It's what I'm here for, Ancè." Tyr glanced over at Aleron. "And your brother, by extension."

Aleron nodded. "Of course."

Ancè smiled at him, before wiping delicately at her eyes one last time before breaking away from her father. "I thank you both. However… I think I've done enough talking for now—I should get going. I have an appointment to keep, and just like my mother I detest being late. Considering I have to redo my makeup..."

"Of course," Tyr said, giving her another kiss to the top of her forehead (of course missing her horn). "Go ahead, sweetie. I think you look better without it, but you won't listen."

Ancè gave Aleron a nod and a small smile before hurrying out. The two men of the Winter family watched her go, waiting until they could no longer hear her measured footsteps in the hallway. "…She's changed a lot," Aleron said softly.

"So life goes," Tyr said, folding his arms. He glanced over at his son. "You've changed as well."

"…I had to."

"So have we all," his father replied softly, reaching over to pat his son on the shoulder. "Good to have you home, son."

Aleron smiled slightly and nodded. "Right. It's been good to be back, craziness of my sisters and all."

Tyr grinned at that. "You never know what you miss until it's gone."

"You can say that again…"

"Lord Tyr?" A voice called, followed by Carver's familiar face. "Ah, I had a feeling you were here. Your advisors are waiting on you in the meeting hall. Whenever you're ready."

"Duty calls," Tyr said with a sigh. He glanced over at Aleron and shrugged. "Seems I have to go."

Aleron smiled. "I understand. I'll be fine—I meant to go see Evie anyway."

Both Tyr and Carver smiled at that, before the Wolf Lord began walking to the door. "Shouldn't be too hard—after most of Ponyville moved to Stonehearth, Twilight decided to move the Castle of Friendship closer to here. You can sorta see it from the walls."

"Really? Wow. Well, that makes it easier to get there."

Tyr nodded. "Just don't be a stranger. Your mother has missed you, as have all the others."

"I'm getting the vibe."

Carver softly cleared her throat. "Lord Tyr, we really should get going. You _know_ how bad Silvie gets when…" She trailed off, noticing the look Aleron was giving her. "…What?"

"_Silvie_?"

"A pet name we call Silver Mint behind her back," Tyr said with a chuckle. "She knows about it, but she makes the most adorable frustrated face when she hears it."

Carver let out a tired sigh, but she was smiling. "Your father has rubbed off on me. And like I was saying Lord, Silvie is a stickler for time. We need to go."

"Right, right," Tyr said with a grin. He nodded to Aleron before they left the room.

Aleron was quiet for a moment, before shrugging. "No time like the present," He said, before flashing away in grey-black light. He reappeared on the footsteps of the Castle of Friendship, smiling up at the crystal tree like castle. "Yeah… I've missed this view."

He used his magic to open the doors, almost walking right into a very surprised pale pink woman with long violet hair with pink highlights. They both stared at each other for a bit before the woman gasped. "Aleron! It's been… oh, I don't know, so long!"

Aleron smiled. "Hello, Miss Starlight. It has been a while, hasn't it?"

Starlight Glimmer smiled brightly at that, "Yes it has, although I'm sure you didn't come here just to see me. Looking for Evie, of course?"

"Well… yeah. Sorry."

She giggled, shaking her head. "I know, I know. I'll ask about your time in the Crystal Empire once you've caught up with everyone. I've got some errands to run—good to see you, like I said."

Aleron grinned. "Right. Thanks, Starlight."

The woman nodded once, before teleporting away. Aleron continued inside, momentarily taking a moment to admire the interior of the crystal castle. It was largely unchanged from when he was there last, muted blues and purples meshing with the silver and faint white colors the castle boasted. There were some new additions to the front area, however. Tapestries depicting the major crises that Equestria suffered hung in rows along the walls. Aleron recognized the cleansing of Nightmare Moon, the defense of Canterlot from the Changelings, Discord's defeat, Sombra's fall, and even Twilight's coronation. As he went up the stairs leading to the more well-travelled areas of the castle, he noticed two new tapestries—one of them depicting a large wolf leading a crowd of ponies out of a tunnel that no doubt signifies Tyr's discovery of the Stonekin. The other made him pause. On it were stylized depictions of himself and Aurora, back to back. Aurora's half was brighter, and she had the banner of Wolfhome clenched in her armored fists and held defiantly out against the white robed warriors in front of her. There was a gleeful and eager grin on her face.

The other half was darker, with Aleron's face drawn in a determined set. In his hands was a twisted knife made to look both material and immaterial, and across from him was a nearly all encompassing shadow that represented the Nightmare Curse. Clutched in his other hand were the six gemstones of the Elements of Harmony, already bright with their respective colors.

"Like it?"

Aleron jumped, turning quickly and instinctually dropping into a combat ready stance. The orange furred Equestrian Knight in front of him grinned, which made him immediately drop his stance. "…Mr. Flash?"

"One and the same." Flash Sentry's smile grew slightly as he came up beside Aleron to look up at the tapestries. "There are stained glass versions of these in the new Canterlot Castle, but I prefer these."

"They're… nice," Aleron admitted. From what he was aware, the only time an event was immortalized in stained glass in Canterlot Castle, it was something that changed the world or had a massive impact. Seeing him and his sister being depicted on one was… humbling. "…I didn't think I'd see one with me on it…"

Flash nodded. "I can understand that. Your father was rather surprised as well—they made one of his victory over the Zodiac Knight Leo, but the tapestry is in Stonehearth instead of here."

"Hm…" They fell into a somewhat awkward silence, Aeron realizing that he had never actually had a one on one talk with Evie's father. He didn't know what to say in a situation like this, and letting the silence continue would simply be just as odd. Lucky for him, the older knight spoke up.

"Seems you've been keeping up your training." Flash said suddenly, glancing at the younger man beside him. "You reacted very quickly when you heard me speak."

"I sparred with Aurora earlier," Aleron said, shrugging. "Suffice it to say, I'm still a bit on alert."

"Ah, that explains a lot. That girl's been an absolute terror when it comes to training the soldiers around the castle and Stonehearth—too bad she's captain of the Vanguard out here, otherwise we'd be getting her up to Canterlot."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, since Luna's technically stepped down and Sherry is in charge of her own city now, it's just Celestia and Hope in Canterlot now. Ace and I have been trying to find competent people to fill some of the holes in the command roster."

"I see…" Aleron blinked. "Wait. Mom… stepped down?"

Flash shrugged. "Well, she moved completely out of Canterlot, and is better known as the Lady of the Wolves instead of the Princess of Dreams. She still goes to help Princess Celestia occasionally."

"Oh, I see… and what was that about Sherry?"

"You never heard? Well, your sister apparently asked Lady Genesis for a favor. That favor was turning the Thunder Island from a rocky landscape to verdant rolling hills. With the surviving Qirin and anyone else that wanted to go, she founded the city of Horizon. She spends most of her time there."

"Hm… I didn't know that. Good for her, I guess. No doubt she's enjoying being busy."

Flash nodded. "Speaking of busy, I've got to fly." He shook out his wings. "Sorry to just go rushing off, but Princess Celestia called me."

"Duty calls," Aleron said, moving aside to let the Solar Knight pass.

"And we must answer," Flash replied sagely, heading to the door. "Evie's up in her room, if you're looking for her. See you around, Aleron."

Aleron nodded, watching as the Solar Knight opened his wings and took to the air. Once he was out of sight, he turned to the staircase. Last he remembered, Evie's room was on one of the highest floors. So up the stairs he went, noting that the Castle of Friendship had a _lot_ of spare rooms. "What does Miss Twilight need with this many rooms…?

Several twists and turns later, he found himself finally at the door he knew led to Evie's room. As he lifted his hand to knock, he heard faint voices coming from inside. Although he wasn't one to eavesdrop, spending time around a master spy like Chrysalis had made him consider every opportunity a chance to gather information. But common sense meant he shouldn't stand at Evie's door and listen in on whoever else was in there. Instead, he moved his hand to knock. Only to find the door was unlocked and swung open at his touch.

"Oh crap, is that your mom?"

"She shouldn't be back so early—Aleron!?"

Aleron was frozen in the doorway, eyes wide. In the room before him were two young adults caught in a most compromising position. The boy was bent over the girl as she laid back on the bed, one arm over her chest in order to hide her half nudity. Evening Star was much as Aleron had remembered her, obviously developing into more of a woman as time went on. Her coat was a deep blue with traces of violet, and her scattered mane of blue, purple and pink fell about her face haphazardly as she hurried to put on glasses to see better.

The boy over her had mostly his back to the door as Aleron opened it, but had turned when Evie had exclaimed who it was. Vibrant Spark had turned into a fit and very well built athlete, with the same bleach white fur and hair with a single rainbow colored strand. He was shirtless, and his blood red eyes were very surprised to see him. "…Whoa… dude, you're back home? I thought…?"

"That you were still in the Crystal Empire," Evie finished, her own violet eyes wide. "When… when did you…"

"Yesterday," Aleron said curtly. "I was still tired from the trip home, so I didn't get around to seeing everyone yet."

"O-Oh…" They all fell silent. After a minute of nothing going happening, Evie tried again. "A-Aleron…"

"It was nice seeing you both," Aleron said pointedly, turning on his heel and swiftly walking out of the doorway. He didn't look back, not once, and it wasn't until he was nearly out the front door that he felt a tug on his arm. The grip tightened once before spinning him around. He found himself face to face with a somewhat concerned and disturbed Vibrant. "Aleron, wait up, dude. I—!"

"How long?" Aleron asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"How long have you and Evie been together?"

Vibrant frowned at that, before running a hand through his snow white hair. "Er… a while now. A year and a half now maybe? We typically get together whenever her mom is off on Map missions or stuff like that…"

"…Good for you, Vibrant."

"Wait, Al!" Vibrant caught the other boy's arm as he turned to leave again. "Come on, man—you can't have possibly been expecting her to be waiting on you, right? You just up and left, after all! It stands to reason she'd find someone else to—?"

He didn't get to finish that statement, for at that moment Aleron's magically charged fist connected with his jaw and knocked him flat onto his back. There was a cold, barely restrained anger smoldering in the unicorn's silver eyes. "Shut. The. Hell. Up. Vibrant," He hissed, before teleporting away.

He found himself on the walls of Stonehearth, in one of the nicer teleport pads that he had helped create all those years ago. The Stonekin in charge of guarding it started upon seeing him, but the look in his eyes gave them pause. They shared a short look before stepping aside to let the young Prince of Stonehearth to pass by. Aleron only had one thought in his mind, however.

To find his sister.

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**The Library may sleep, but the Stories are Alive and Awake. Until next time.**

**Read; Review; and Return, if you so please.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Greetings. A bit of a shorter chapter this time around (plus I didn't post last week like i meant to) so this time around it's a double upload.**

**The plot thickens!**

**Guest: Aleron's got tough skin. If Aurora is physically stronger, Aleron is mentally stronger. Plus, he does take after his father in one way: They both will fight for their happy endings.**

**Enough chatter from me. To the chapter(s)!**

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Chapter 3: How Far is Too Far?

Aurora felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, and she glanced around to look about the training grounds where the Vanguard were currently drilling. There were currently a hundred members of the Vanguard, mixed between the Stonekin, Ursa, Unicorns and other Equestrians that had joined Stonehearth's military, and even a few of the Wulfen. She was sitting on a railing on a slight upper level to the grounds, where she could see the entire force as a whole. She frowned slightly wondering why she had suddenly felt a sense of… anger. As if it was disconnected from her and not her own.

"A bit for your thoughts, little one?"

"Agh!" Aurora jumped, losing her balance and rapidly flapping her wings to regain it. A few of the more veteran Shapers noticed, smiling and chuckling at their young commander. The young Alicorn scowled at them, before turning to see who had spoken. "Auntie Chrissy!"

The Queen of the Changelings was a lithe and striking figure in a customized maid outfit that was both modest and revealing all at the same time. She was beautiful, terrifying, and alluring depending on who you asked, but no one in Stonehearth could deny that she was an attractive woman. But that's all they would say, as the Spymaster of Stonehearth belonged wholly to her Master, Tyr. Her skin was the same chitinous black like all the other Changelings, with long pale sea-green hair that fell about her face to hide one of her eyes, which were a bright Changeling green. Around her neck was a collar similar to the one that Sunset wore, except the charm on it was simply a silver shield with an emerald heart set into it. Despite almost literally oozing sensuality, there was a forbidden nature about the dark woman also known as the Eyes and Ears of the Wolf. She was devoted to Tyr, with a dedication that went beyond love or loyalty. That also extended to the other members of the Wolf's Herd, especially the children. She tilted her head to the side before reaching out to place a hand on Aurora's shoulder. "Is something bothering you, Aurora?"

The girl let out a little sigh. "No, I'm just… I had a feeling. Like, something went wrong somewhere."

"Those feelings are typically correct," Chrys replied wisely, moving over to stand beside her. The Changeling's emerald eyes examined her closely. "Do you have a basis for why you suddenly feel worried?"

"Couldn't say, to be honest. Maybe it's nothing…"

"Wolf Princess!" A red cloaked Shaper came running over, dropping to one knee in front of her and Chrysalis. "Your brother was looking for you—he's waiting in the main hall."

"Al was looking for me?" Aurora was confused for a short moment. Normally, she and her brother could easily sense where the other was at local distances, or was the separation for so long affecting that? She hopped off the railing and turned to her troops. "Wildheart!"

One of the Wulfen loped over, pressing his fist to his chest in respect. After a nearly ritualistic ass kicking Aurora gave almost all the larger Wulfen who challenged her authority, the daughter of the Wolf Lord had the undivided respect of all the Wulfen. "Yes, Princess?"

"Keep the drills going. My Aunt here will keep watch over you."

Chrys smiled. "I suppose I can stick around for a few minutes. Your father is with Sunset and Rose at the moment, so he will not need me."

"I thought dad was in a meeting," Aurora said, frowning slightly.

"Sunset is sitting in since Rose really wanted to be with her father," Chrys replied with a shrug. "As the baby of the group, she is free to demand his attention and get it."

"Makes sense. I should go before he comes here looking for me. Be back soon!" She said, turning away. With that, Aurora went on her way, heading into the castle proper and heading to the main hall. Shapers nodded to her in greeting, making way for her without a word. It was only a few minutes until Aurora pushed her way through the doors that let into the hall. Aleron was pacing in the empty room, head snapping up as she entered. "Al, I heard you were looking for me?"

"Did you know?" Aleron asked shortly, the clipped way he said it catching her off guard and making her pause.

"…Know? Did I know what?"

"Did you know Evening Star and Vibrant were dating?"

Aurora stared at him blankly for a moment, before gaping. "What!? Evie and Vibrant are…? I haven't spent much time hanging out with them, so I… Oh Etro, I didn't know Al!"

Aleron glared at his sister for a few minutes longer before letting out a sigh and relaxing. "…You know, if it was anyone else, I wouldn't have believed them. At least not right now. Damn it…"

"I am _so_ sorry Al," Aurora said, walking over to him and putting her hands on his shoulders. "If I had known, I wouldn't have encouraged you to go see her. How… how did you find out?"

"I walked in on them. If I had to guess, they were having sex. At least getting ready to. Evie was half naked when I walked in, and Vibrant didn't have a shirt on."

"Oh, _ew_. That's… I'm so sorry Al."

Aleron let out another sigh and moved to the far wall window to sit on the edge. "I guess that's one avenue for a relationship that won't go anywhere."

Aurora walked over and sat next to him. "Hey, it'll be okay Al. There's plenty of girls out there for you. Evie was your first crush, but it doesn't always work out."

"That I know, but I wasn't expecting to find out like this." Aleron groaned suddenly and dropped his face into his hands. "Damn it… I hit Vibrant."

"You… you did what?"

"He came after me to try and explain things. Obviously considering it's Vibrant, it didn't go the way I'm sure it did in his head. So because I was still angry, I punched him in the face."

Aurora couldn't help but smile. "Not the best choice, but I'd have done it too."

Aleron smiled at that, but before he could respond they heard footsteps approaching. They turned to see their father leading a very irritated Evening Star towards them. She spotted them about halfway inside, and teleported the rest of the way. "How _dare_ you do that to Vibrant, Aleron! Just because you saw us in a particularly compromising situation doesn't mean you had to hit him!"

Tyr raised an eye at that, but kept his silence. Aleron moved to respond, but Aurora beat him to it. She hopped off the window sill and stood between Evie and Aleron, her stance uncompromising and confrontational. "And how dare _you_, Evening Star? You had plenty of opportunities to send Al a letter or something and telling him about your new relationship. Hell, you could have told all of us! But you hid it, and now you're mad at Aleron for having an expected reaction? That's no better, in my opinion."

"You're obviously biased," Evie spat, scowling. "You're so quick to take his side! And Aleron didn't have to hit Vibrant!"

"Biased?" Aurora's eyes narrowed. "Of course I'm biased. He's my freaking _twin_ for Etro's sake! For all intents and purposes, my better half! And yes, he shouldn't have hit Vibrant, but knowing him, he probably said something he shouldn't have."

"Well that's… I just…"

"And didn't I warn you once?" Aurora's gaze started to turn dark. "I told you not to hurt my brother. And you. Just. Did."

Evie blanched, backing up a step. Aleron quickly moved up to grip his sister's arm. "Ro, let it go. Evie's said what she wanted. She made it rather obvious that I didn't have a chance."

The other unicorn winced at that. "Aleron, I… You left so suddenly…"

"I understand that. I'll apologize to Vibrant later, but for now you should just go, Evie. Please."

"Go? But I…!"

"Aurora isn't the only one who is defensive of our brother," Cori's voice said warningly. Their attention was directed to one of the other entryways, where the young Changeling girl was standing. Her mismatched eyes were narrowed. "We're friends, but we're all a bit on edge at the moment. I know for certain I'm having a bad day."

"Then you'll get a hug to help make it better," Tyr said, finally interjecting. He placed a hand on Evie's shoulder and smiled at her. "You'd better be getting home, Evening Star. You all seem to have had a long day."

"… As you said, Uncle. I'll head home now. It was… good to see you all." Evie inclined her head slightly before teleporting away.

There was silence in the hall for a moment. "Sheathe your claws, my little pups," Tyr said amusingly.

Aurora and Cori both visibly relaxed, and Aleron let out the breath he was holding. "That was rather tense," Carver said from beside Tyr. The Shaper had arrived sometime during the conversation, but had simply been an observer along with her Lord.

"You're telling me," Tyr agreed. He glanced over at his son. "Mind explaining what's going on?"

"I walked in on Evie and Vibrant," Aleron explained, which got a wince from both his father and Carver.

"That's rather… awkward."

Carver nodded. "I can understand your frustration, young Prince. And considering how protective your sister is…"

"It's only fair," Aurora huffed, folding her arms. "I warned her. A long time ago yes, but I warned her."

Tyr's frown deepened, but he instead turned his gaze to Aleron. "A question for you, my son. What are you going to do now?"

Aleron frowned at that, but gave it some thought. Aurora watched her brother's face, wishing she could read his thoughts. Personally she wanted to give Evie a bigger piece of her mind, but that depended on her brother. After a few minutes, Aleron met his father's gaze. "Whatever Evie and Vibrant do is their business. I've got my own things to worry about than mistreated feelings."

"Understandable. But don't let it discourage you, Al. Sometimes the first is not the one."

"You're right. But Ro? Don't be angry. At least not about how I found out—you can be mad about Evie saying what she said, but don't do anything to her because of it. I got my heart broken, and if I know anything, there will be plenty of other girls out there."

Carver smiled. "You're rather confident, young Prince. I wish you luck."

Aleron directed his attention to the window. "For now at least, I'm not looking for romance. I'll be getting back to my research, although going to the Castle of Friendship for Twilight's help might be kind of awkward now…"

"If she gives you any trouble, send her my way," Tyr informed him. "Now, I've got to head down to the tunnels. There were Diamond Dog tunnels discovered and I want to be sure that the miners are safe."

"Do you need me, dad?" Aurora asked, perking up.

Tyr grinned. He didn't answer, but the sudden appearance of a small wolf-girl on his shoulder took their attention. "I have not gotten to kill anything in months," Fenrir, Tyr's Chaos Spirit said irritably. Her silver ears twitched, and she turned her deep violet eyes on her Contractor's children. "Your father and I are going to slaughter something, and you will not want to be in the way."

"IF we run into any dogs, we'll handle it," Tyr said with a laugh. Then, he grinned over at his bodyguard. "Plus, with the Wolf Guard, I think we'll be fine."

"It seems your father's bloodthirstiness has rubbed off on us," Carver said with a roll of her eyes. She was still amused, however. "The very prospect of combat has… excited us. Especially against our enemies the dogs."

After the first foray of the Diamond Dogs into Wolfhome, a certain enmity had been formed against the canine race. During the siege of Canterlot, another Diamond Dog attack had happened in the absence of the major leaders of the castle town. However, where the dogs had been expecting just the Stonekin, they instead found the Ursa and Wulfen that had not gone with the army. Yet again, they had been slaughtered. Trapped out of their tunnels by the Stonekin, overpowered by the Ursa, and less agile than the Wulfen, the Diamond Dogs had no chance. Not to mention one particular Arachne that had, in a panic, thrown up a large net of webbing that kept the Dogs out of the residential areas. Added to that were the reanimated corpses of their fallen, resurrected by a very amused Necromancer named Grim Project that took to defending his new home with an impressive zeal. Most of the zombies had been 'dusted' (the magic used to animate them removed) after the siege, although Grim's contribution was noted and he was given an advisory position within the castle.

Vanna had introduced the Stonekin to a tradition he had learned of in one of the worlds he Traveled to—a large, stone carved book called the Book of Grudges. In it were the names of the races or individuals that the Stonekin had cause for anger towards along with the transgression. So far, only the Diamond Dogs had their name etched in the granite of the book, but there was plenty of room for more. The Wolf Guard, Tyr's personal cadre of the Stonekin Shaper elite, were zealous in their pursuit of clearing their grudges.

That and smashing Dogs into paste.

"Well, I guess I'll find something else to do," Aurora said with a huff.

Tyr smiled. "I heard Jehu and the rest of his family were here to visit. You could go see if Passion will spar with you."

"They are? Cool!" Aurora grinned at her brother. "You should come with me, Al! It should be fun!"

"Actually…" Aleron glanced over at Cori, who blinked at the attention. "I have a couple things I need to do. Cori? If you could, send someone to get Penumbra for me?"

The young Changeling glanced off to the side, face scrunching up in thought. "…There. I've sent someone for her. Where would you like for her to meet you?"

Aleron turned to his father. "Where's Ishanvi, dad?"

Tyr raised an eyebrow at that, but moved over to one of the near walls. He placed his hand against a blue tube that was running through it, and his white aura appeared. "…Ishanvi. Come here please?"

"What is that…?" Aleron asked, seconds before the blue tube seemed to move, revealing that it was instead a tube full of clear water that was now moving very rapidly. "A water tube?"

"Remember we installed them so she could get around easier?" Tyr smiled, gesturing to one of the openings that was a few feet away. He moved over to it, with the rest of the group following. "We upgraded the network. Those who have magic can use it to call for her—she can sense it through the water. She says she can hear us when we do it, but I'm not so sure."

A few moments later, a flash of red appeared down the tube, and then a cute, petite young woman burst out of the opening, tossing back her bright red hair and scattering water about the stone. Black, pearl-like eyes regarded them all from behind the curtain of wet hair. She spoke, her voice soft and slightly lilting like she was reciting a poem. "Master Tyr. You called?"

Tyr held out a hand to the Naiad and she took it with one of her slender ones, allowing him to help her out of the opening. She was wearing a full bodysuit, silver in color with blue accents all along it. As she was pulled out of the water, she tugged at something on her waist, making a sort of skirt like piece flow out around her hips. Tyr smiled at her, gently reaching up to fix her hair into some kind of neatness. "I wanted you to help Aleron. He needs information."

"I am always willing to help," Ishanvi said with a nod. The Naiad was Tyr's Chronicler, a living repository of information that had been created when the Jötunheim had been shot down. She bore all the information that had been stored in the Sanctuary, along with anything further that she learned. Normally she was always near and available to Tyr, although she had recently started spending most of her time in Stonehearth's Archive, tending what information stored there and writing down as much of her knowledge as possible. She turned her attention away from her master to the group assembled around them. "Oh, hello everyone. And Aleron, it is good to see you home again."

"Hello again, Ishanvi. How are you… okay outside of the water?"

The Naiad indicated her peculiar outfit. "A special suit designed by Mistress Vanna. It maintains my body's moisture levels using moisture in the air. I can't stay out of the water for very long without an additional apparatus, but it is enough to come out and speak for a short time."

Very high tech, Aleron thought to himself, looking it over. It _looked_ just like a simple skin tight swimsuit, but he could tell the material was something that couldn't be easily replicated. "I see… And Dad, you're letting me borrow Isha?"

"I'll be busy for a while," Tyr informed him, gently stroking the Naiad's head. Her expression didn't change much, but she did move slightly closer to him. Like Changelings, the dryad-like races were creatures of emotion. If they ever fell into despair they would weaken, and prolonged sadness or depression would eventually kill them. Tyr had been the first person Isha had seen, which made her seek him for comfort and safety. That, and Isha saw Tyr as an uncle or at least someone that was family to her. Whenever she was out of the water, she liked to be close to him. "And she doesn't mind, do you Isha?"

"The pursuit of knowledge is something to be nurtured," Isha said sagely, nodding. "You have me at your disposal, Aleron. As long as your father does not require my attention, I will be happy to help you in any way I can."

Aleron blinked once, before glancing at his father. "Thanks dad. I really appreciate it."

Cori cleared her throat. "Where do you want Penumbra to meet you, Aleron?"

"Tell her to meet me in the archives," Aleron said with a glance towards Ishanvi. The Naiad nodded. "That's where we'll get started. "

Ishanvi turned to Tyr. "Master Tyr, I will go on ahead to prepare. I have several texts on dark magic that I believe your son will find useful."

"Alright then," Tyr said, with another pat to her head. "Go ahead."

With another nod to the rest of the group, Ishanvi went back over to the tube, pulled up her skirt, and dived back in. In a moment, she was swimming away. Aleron turned to Aurora. "Guess I'll get going. See you later?"

"Couldn't avoid me if you tried," Aurora replied. Her brother simply smiled, and headed off through one of the side doors. They all watched him go, only for Cori to roll her eyes. "He has no idea where the archives are. But I'm sure he'd rather wander around lost instead of coming back in here."

Tyr chuckled. "Send someone to help him?"

"I'll make it so Penumbra and her guide cross paths with him. Silly brother…"

She wandered off, no doubt to get back to work. Aurora smiled. "I guess I'll go down to the candy shop."

"Tell Jehu I said hello, Dawn," Tyr said with a smile. Aurora grinned at his use of her middle name, and took off out of a nearby window. With a flourish she tossed open her wings and soared into the open air. It was getting close to midday, so she decided to put off going by the candy shop for now, and instead flew out towards Ponyville to enjoy a long flight. As the only one of her siblings that was able to fly (She didn't count Sherry because she was usually in Horizon nowadays), she occasionally took long flights to just enjoy the sensation. The wind blowing through her hair, the feel of soaring weightlessly… She loved it, and wished her sisters and brother could enjoy it as well.

Ponyville came into view, and she dipped down and angled towards the small town. Smaller than it used to be due to a lot of the younger residents moving to Stonehearth, but it was still a sleepy little accident prone town. She landed on the outskirts, straightening out her clothes as she walked into town proper. There seemed to be something going on in the middle of town, but before she could get any closer, she noticed a cloud above her that was rather close. "…That you, Vibrant?"

The cloud shifted, and then pink eyes appeared over the edge. "Aurora? What are you doing here—oh buck, did you talk to Aleron already?"

"I did." Aurora noticed the white pegasus wince slightly. "…I'm not really mad at you, Vi. I'm more upset with Evie."

"Aleron did just up and leave for the Crystal Empire," Vibrant pointed out, hanging himself a bit off the edge of the cloud. "We just kind of… thought he might find someone else."

"Well he didn't," Aurora said shortly, continuing to walk into town proper. "And I really don't want to talk about this at the moment."

"At least you didn't hit me for no reason," the Pegasus muttered.

Aurora stopped. "…Vibrant, I'd really like for you to shut up before _I_ hit you."

Vibrant paused at that. His pink eyes regarded her curiously, before his wings twitched ever so slightly. "…What's wrong with saying your brother missed out?"

"The fact that I can bend you into a pretzel," Aurora said dangerously. "Seriously Vibrant, I'd rather _not_ hurt you."

"…I do that to Evie enough."

Even if Vibrant had been ready to take off, there was no way he was getting away from a pissed off Alicorn who actually knew how to use her magic. Aurora's horn had lit up and she appeared in front of the all-white Pegasus. "Can't help but rub it in, can you?"

"What the—!?"

Aurora's hand snapped out, grabbed him by the throat, and she dragged him out of the cloud and straight to the ground to smash him into the dirt. "Good job Vibrant, you managed to piss me off even more today!" She growled.

"…Let go of me!"

"So you can gloat more? Maybe I should keep you right here!"

A throat cleared behind them. "Excuse me, young miss?"

"What!?" Aurora nearly snarled, only to turn around and find two peculiar individuals standing behind her. One was a tall, handsome blonde haired man in medium armor that was pure white and looked like dragon scales. On his back was a longsword with a gilded hilt in the shape of a radiant sun, and there was a pair of long daggers strapped over his chest. He also had a cloak that wrapped around and hid most of his right side that bore a very impressive heraldry that looked like a shield marked with a golden hammer.

Beside him stood a shorter, well-built woman with dark black hair tied back in a severe ponytail with only a single lock of hair allowed to fall in front of her face. She was in more traditional samurai styled armor with a katana at her waist and a sharp set to her facial features. Her armor was a deep blue color, and the hilt of her sword was wrapped with a bright blue ribbon.

"…Something you needed?" Aurora asked, not letting go of Vibrant.

"Simply acting to prevent a friendship from being damaged by actions done in anger," the man said with a small smile. "Your friend is rather imperious. No need to injure him simply because he is being defiant."

"Some would say otherwise," Evie's voice called out, signaling her arrival. She spared Aurora an apologetic look as she approached, as if asking her to let go of her boyfriend. The Alicorn did so, backing up and letting the pegasus get up. "Vibrant. There's no point in antagonizing either Aleron or Aurora. Especially since you already screwed up with Al."

"That wasn't even my fault!" Vibrant said, rubbing his neck.

"Yes it was. Aleron and Aurora are still our friends, and we should treat them like it." Evie turned to Aurora. "…I'm sorry. For… a lot of things."

Aurora was silent for a minute, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head. "I have to apologize to you too. For everything I said and did."

Evie smiled slightly at that. Then, she turned to Vibrant, shot him a dark look, and grabbed his arm to yank him away. "Now I have to deal with you and your mouth, mister…"

There was the beginnings of an argument as they left, but Aurora's attention was already back on the two new individuals. She eyed the man curiously, meeting his smile with suspicion. "…I'd like to know who you are now, please."

The female samurai smirked lightly at that. "She's rather sharp. You can tell she's descended from a wolf."

The man chuckled. "You have a point. Young lady, my name is Absalom, and this is my Contracted Spirit of Order, Duty."

Duty inclined her head respectfully. Aurora didn't move, but did narrow her eyes. "You're an Order Mage?"

"Indeed. I assume you know about Spirits?"

"My father is contracted to Carnage, and my sister Sherry is contracted to Curiosity."

"The newborn," Duty murmured thoughtfully.

Absalom frowned slightly, before letting the smile fall back into place. "You said your father. You must be the child of Tyr Winter, yes?"

Aurora raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't hesitate to answer. "I assume you know that because Mister Jehu told you?"

Duty suddenly barked out a loud laugh. "The girl is indeed sharp! I have a respect for this pack of wolves already!"

Absalom gave his companion a weak smile and rolled his eyes. "I suppose you're right. I never got your name, young miss."

"Aurora Dawn Winter," Aurora said, frowning. "And what business did you have with my father?"

At that, the knight smiled. "I've come to cross swords with your father."

Normally, most would react to that would alarm, but Aurora's silver gaze didn't waver. "Are you planning a friendly duel, or something more? Because if you're threatening my father's life…" Half a dozen Shapers seemed to emerge from the shadows, grim looks on all their faces. "…I'd be remiss in not at least trying to stop you."

However, Absalom simply shook his head. "No threat, young miss. A friendly bout—your father defeated Leo in combat, so I was curious and wanted to test my skill against him."

Aurora stared at him for a moment longer, before holding up a hand and waving it. The Shapers melted back into the background. "…Okay. Sorry about that, but when it comes to family…"

"I understand. It seems to be a common theme amongst Chaos Mages and their families that they are very close-knit. I do envy that."

"So you wanted to meet my father? I can help you with that, if you like. I'm sure he'd rather like to meet you."

Absalom smiled. "If your father is anything like you, I'd really like to meet him. You're the first in a long time that's even bothered threatening me."

"Be glad we understand your caution," Duty warned. Her hand had dropped to her sword and it was eased partially out of its sheath. "Otherwise…"

"Let's not throw around threats," Absalom said, reaching out and placing a hand on Duty's shoulder. "She was protecting her father."

"…Of that I am aware."

"We can go now, if you'd like," Aurora said. "I think my dad isn't busy."

"To that castle in the distance?" Absalom asked. When he received a nod in reply, he smiled. "Well, if he is busy, I can at least get a drink with Jehu."

Aurora blinked, then glanced up at the man again. "…You know he's a vampire, right?"

"Hm? Oh yes—I'm well aware. Doesn't stop us from enjoying each other's company."

"Well… okay then. Follow me."

–x–

When Aurora and her two followers reached Stonehearth, they found a peculiar sight at the front gates. A young woman with white hair with red streaks sat on a barrel just inside the gates, kicking her legs as she watched people go by. At her feet was a metal hyena, a noise coming from it in the form of a laugh that sounded more like scraping metal. She glanced over in their direction, eyes widening at the sight. "Oh, Absalom! I haven't seen you in a while!"

"Hello Passion," Absalom said, smiling at the young girl. He glanced down at the metal hyena. "Mayhem, I see you're doing well."

"Always, shiny!" The hyena chuckled.

"Where's your father?"

"Dad's probably at Izzy's shop," Passion said, hopping off her barrel. She grinned at Aurora. "Yo, Princess."

Aurora smiled. Out of all of the Striates, she enjoyed Passion's company more than the others—the redhead was no nonsense and usually like to throw fists instead of words. "Hello, Passion. My dad isn't out and about, is he?"

"I haven't seen him," the fire haired girl remarked. "I saw a messenger heading for the castle earlier though."

"Hm… I hope it isn't bad news…" Aurora turned to Absalom. "I need to hurry to the castle. Sorry, but…?"

"I can take them to the shop for now," Passion said, hopping off her barrel. "When your dad isn't busy, stop on by."

Absalom and Duty followed after Passion as she headed off, that normal bounce in her step as she went. The samurai bent over to speak softly to the girl as they walked. "Your sister… she opened a candy shop, no? I have wanted some of her saltwater taffy for a while now…"

Passion giggled. "Of course! Izzy makes it all!"

Aurora watched them until they rounded a corner, before reaching out to a nearby wall and tapping on it several times. A Shaper in a green cloak arrived shortly after. "Did you need something, Wolf Princess?"

"The messenger that arrived… do you know where they came from?"

"Horizon, my lady."

Aurora paused at that, shooting a sharp look at the Shaper. "…From Horizon? Was he wearing my sister's emblem?"

The Shaper smirked. "Indeed."

The young girl's face lit up, and she took off towards the castle. News from her sister? There was no way she was missing that. It was a testament to her speed that she emerged into the throne room just as the messenger was beginning to leave. Her father was seated in his throne, leaning over on the wolf-styled armrests with a pensive look on his face. Beside him was a silver haired Stonekin conversing with another Stonekin dressed as a miner. Tyr looked up at his daughter's arrival. "Ro? What's up, sweetie?"

"That messenger was from Horizon, right?" She glanced over at the pegasus messenger, taking him in in one look. He was tall, lean, and muscular, with a close cut blonde mane that matched with his golden fur. On his lapel was the rising sun emblem Sherry had chosen as the symbol of her new city. He bowed slightly towards her. "…Well, that answers that question."

Tyr grinned at that, before nodding to the messenger. "Grab something to eat and drink in the meal hall. You earned it."

"Thank you, Lord," The messenger bowed deeply before excusing himself out one of the side doors.

Aurora crossed the mostly empty hall just in time for the silver haired Stonekin to turn to her father. "Shall I remain, Lord Tyr? Or do you wish to continue our conversation later?"

"Grab Rarity and get her to help you," Tyr said after a moment of thought. "I know she's the one I'd go to besides you for financial help, Silver."

Silver Mint smiled. "I suppose so. No doubt Lady Rarity will be very helpful in setting this up. I'll speak to her immediately."

She bowed once and left through a rear door. Tyr finally turned his attention to his daughter, motioning her closer. She did so, a smile touching at her lips at the loving gaze coming from her father. "So Sherry sent a message?"

"She did," Tyr informed her, reaching up to lift off the silver crown that was his icon of station. His loving smile gave way to a more pensive look. "According to the messenger, Sherry is having a bit of an issue."

"What kind of issue?"

"Some kind of land dispute. She wants a bit of… political muscle to back her up."

Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Political muscle?"

Tyr grinned, a feral sort of grin that had passed onto his children. Many had claimed the Wolf Lord's teeth were becoming closer to the animal he was associated with, which gave him a frightening visage to those who didn't know him. It was also a trait Aurora wished she had inherited, although she was the only one out of the Wolf Lord's children who could match their father's bloodthirsty grin. "I think she just wants to see the family, to be honest."

"Well, when's the last time we went?" Aurora asked, walking over to hop up to a sitting position on the arms of the Wolf Throne. Tyr gave her an amused look—most people would have been appalled to see even the daughter of their Lord sitting on the arm of the Wolf Throne, but Aurora was used to being unusual around the castle town. She ran a hand through her hair, which was messy from not ever tying it up and flying everywhere. "The last Thunder Festival, if I remember correctly."

"So that's enough of a reason to go," Tyr said with a nod. "Although I'll have to get all of that cleared with the rest of the wives…"

Aurora giggled and poked him in the arm. "It's what you get for having a big family!"

Tyr grinned at her and pulled her into a one armed hug. "Ah, I'd go through it again to have such a happy family."

"Of course. So when do we leave?"

"Give it a few days. There's some things I have to get cleared up, and isn't your brother planning on going out into the Everfree?"

"Something about research," Aurora said, sighing. "I get my brother back after six years, and he's still off trying to do research…"

Tyr smiled and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Actually, why don't you go with him? The Vanguard Selection is coming up, so that could be your initiation for the acolytes this time around."

Aurora turned thoughtful. True, there were a number of beasts in the Everfree that could be suitable for hunting, and she'd have a honor guard for her, her brother and Penumbra, who she had no doubt was coming along as well. "I guess that can work. I was going to ask for Ancè to be the VIP this time around, but she might be busy…"

"Well, you've got time to decide," Tyr pointed out with a shrug. He frowned then, before giving his daughter a critical look. "Now what's this I hear about you attacking Vibrant?"

"W-What? How did you…?"

A Changeling girl in an inverted color maid uniform came from behind the Wolf Throne, hands clasped in front of her and her head bowed. Her pale green hair was short and flared, and a chain-link collar was around her throat with the Stonehearth crest hanging from it. Tyr grinned at his daughter. "Eyes and Ears, remember?"

"Hello, Little Princess," The Changeling said with a tiny smile. "My apologies—it is my job, after all."

Aurora frowned, but shook her head. "No, it's fine Cienna. And sorry Dad—you know how Vibrant is. He just knows the right thing to say to piss me off."

Tyr let out a sigh, motioning for Cienna to come closer. She did so, letting the man gently rub her head. "Ro, you can't let your anger get the better of you. There's a time and place for everything."

"It's just…!" Aurora let out a frustrated noise. "I get to feel what Al's feeling sometimes—I don't know why, but…"

"You're a little bit Changeling," Tyr reminded her, shaking his head. "Chrys Bonded to me before your mother and I—"

"Too much information dad!" Aurora said quickly, waving her hands at him. "I don't need details on that, like, EVER."

Tyr grinned, chuckling softly. "I can only imagine what your kids will be like."

"Ugh, dad~!" Aurora pulled away, grimacing. "I'm gonna… go plan this Vanguard excursion. Somewhere else. Not that I don't love you, but you like teasing me too much."

"Have fun, sweetie."

Tyr simply grinned as Aurora beat a hasty retreat. Cienna knelt by the throne, resting her head against the arm of it so Tyr could run his fingers through her hair with ease. "…I'm surprised you're not bothered by this, Cienna," He remarked, glancing down at her.

The Changeling gently shook her head. "I had no purpose for years, Master Tyr. When you spared me back then… When you brought me back from what I thought was to be my death… I understood why my Queen gave her everything to you. Just being of use to you like this… I can truly experience happiness. So all I ask is that you use me as you see fit."

"Considering you faked your own death rather well…" The Wolf Lord was silent for a bit, gently continuing to pet the Changeling. Then he sighed. "…I'm pretty sure this has been said by me before, but you Changelings can be unnecessarily cute when you want to be. Plus, I'm seriously getting too many women who are willing to be my property."

–x–


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Change in Scenery

"Okay, I think I've read enough for one day," Aleron muttered, stretching in his seat. He glanced over at Penumbra, who was still nose deep in a tome. At least at first glance—upon closer inspection, her eyes were glazed over as if she had fallen asleep sitting up. Aleron chuckled lightly to himself before gently shaking his companion's shoulder. "Penny. Wake up."

"Mm… huh?" She blinked several times, letting her eyes refocus and turn his way. "Um… Aleron? Did I fall asleep?"

Aleron chuckled. "I believe so. You okay?"

"Yeah, but these books have really exhausting writing…" The girl yawned slightly, before her stomach rumbled. A blush touched at her pale cheeks and she hid her face behind her hair. "Um… I'm hungry."

"Let's go get something to eat then. Want to eat in the castle or out in the town?"

"There are a number of good restaurants in town now," Ishanvi pointed out from her spot in one of the tubes. There was a special desk set up for her so she could be partly submerged and still read. "Nothing that I would like to eat, but you might find something very good. I would suggest the castle kitchens, but I do believe Miss Pinkamena is not here at the moment."

"Hm… Well, we'll take a look. Thanks for helping us out, even if we didn't find anything."

Ishanvi nodded. "Of course. Never hesitate to call on me for aid—if you are near the tubes, simply press one of the buttons near the exits. I have no proper sense for your magic yet, so that form of summoning will take a bit of time. If I am able, I will arrive as soon as possible."

Aleron nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Come on Penny."

With the pale girl in tow, Aleron left the library back out into the castle proper. They wandered the halls down to the keep's main entrance and out into the city. Unlike some of the other major cities in Equestria, Stonehearth was a more 'muted' hustle and bustle, not colorful but still a city all its own. Many Equestrians were wary of living alongside the Ursa and Wulfen, but most had quickly accepted it as normal for the stone hewed city. Regardless, it was a far cry from the shining crystals of the Crystal Empire. Penumbra looked up at every building with barely hidden wonder on her face. Aleron couldn't help but smile—as this was technically his hometown, the normal sights didn't really awe him. However, there were far more… machines moving about the streets, mostly large walking transports and a few small airships for cargo and the like. "Apparently the alliance with Tyndaren has helped out big time around here…"

"Tyndaren?" Penumbra looked away from a pair of Shapers fixing a wall with their powers to look at him. "I remember you saying that name before… Wasn't it where your aunt lived?"

"My Aunt Kyanna, yeah," Aleron confirmed with a nod. "I wonder if she might come by while we're here—it's been a while since I last saw her."

"Were you close?"

"Not particularly, but she's family, and it's never bad to see family again."

"Mm…"

They continued walking, Penumbra following a bit behind him. They were walking for a few minutes before Aleron sighed. "I don't think I can find a decent place. I've been away from Stonehearth for too long. We'd have to ask someone…"

"Oh? Looking for a place to eat?" A voice remarked. The two looked around to find Passion and a tall woman with angelic white wings at her back. She had blonde hair twisted into a flower like bun that sat just short of her neck and wore an elegant white and gold sundress that fell down to her ankles. It was the taller woman who had spoken, grace and elegance in every aspect of her. Her blue eyes were warm with friendliness. "Have you tried Chaotic Confections?"

"Chaotic… Confections?" Penumbra repeated slowly.

Passion grinned. "It's my sister's place. It's a candy shop, but she sells all kinds of desserts and the like."

"Not exactly what we were looking for," Aleron pointed out. He then spared a glance over at Penumbra, whose eyes had gone wide at the mention of sweets. "…Or maybe it was."

The dark girl turned to him, eyes glittering. "Can we go, Aleron? Please? I want to go there!"

Aleron laughed quietly, shaking his head. "I guess we can. Mind if we join you and your friend, Passion?"

Passion grinned. "Not at all! And this is my wife, little Al."

The two young adults paused at that, sharing a quick look. Penumbra was rightly confused, but Aleron knew somewhat better. Due to something happening in her previous world, Passion—and her family as a whole—were separated from Time. Meaning they were possibly thousands of years older than they actually seemed. Despite being shorter than Aleron, Passion had so much more experience than he knew. His silver eyes went to the taller woman, meeting her gaze. He cleared his throat softly. "I… was unaware Passion was married. Considering we've never met…"

The blonde chuckled softly. "Oh, it is quite alright. My business keeps me from travelling much. My name is Design, and I am an Angel. Pleasure to meet you."

"Dizzy spends most of her time on her home plane," Passion explained, reaching out to take the taller woman's hand. "She's one of their chief machinists!"

"Although we call ourselves Artificers," Design clarified. "And my work typically involves making construct soldiers and replacement limbs." She turned to Passion, smiling warmly at her wife. "Considering my first project was on my little falling star here…"

"You have artificial limbs?" Aleron asked, shocked.

Passion shook her head. "Not at the moment. When I first arrived in Dizzy's world, I ended up fighting a creature I couldn't touch. I got my arm torn off finally managing to kill it—I vented my magic out of my arms and… well, I didn't have any arms after that."

Penumbra winced. "That sounds… painful."

"Yeah, totally." Passion grinned. While Penumbra seemed confused by the reaction, Aleron wasn't—It was only because he knew that the young woman enjoyed fighting a lot more than most, especially getting hurt, considering how her powers worked. She got stronger the more damage she took. With the way she fought, she probably considered losing her arms as a upside of having a good fight. "But, you can look back on things like that with happy eyes when you remember it leads to some of the best memories. If I hadn't been injured, there was no reason for me to ever meet Dizzy."

The angel smiled warmly. "My style of work wasn't considered very useful. But I was the only one who could craft something strong enough to survive the kind of stress Passion puts her body through daily."

"You made arms for her?" Penumbra asked confusedly.

Design nodded. "Yes. Until her sister arrived to heal her, Passion used my prostheses in order to fight. Because of my angelic nature, I could make it possible to hurt the creatures on my world."

"What can I say?" Passion shrugged. "I like punching things. Always have, always will."

"Oh… Al," Penumbra murmured quietly, tugging on the young man's sleeve. "Are we going…?"

Aleron chuckled. "Yeah, we are. Mind leading the way, Passion?"

The little firebrand grinned. "Not at all! Follow me, you two!"

With a sort of confused look between the two of them, Aleron and Penumbra followed the other pair, the latter still looking at Design's wings in quiet awe. Passion led the way with her usual bounce in her step, heading to a denser section of the city. As they rounded a blind corner, they ran into a peculiar pair. Jehu Striate, a dark skinned man with a penchant for wild grins and cryptic messages, paused in mid bite of his wife, the pale beauty that was Mercy Striate. He was behind her with his fangs an inch away from her exposed neck. Both froze upon seeing them. "…Oh hi there," Jehu murmured, unintentionally making his wife shiver at his breath on her skin.

"Hi daddy!" Passion said brightly, ignoring the horrified look on Penumbra's face. "Hi mom!"

"Hello sweetie," Mercy breathed, clearing her throat. "And Design. Good to see you."

The angel laughed quietly. "Did we interrupt something?"

"Just getting a bit to drink," Jehu clarified.

"Oh! Well, don't let us interrupt. Come along, everyone." Design gently ushered the other three past, into the building Jehu and Mercy had been standing outside of. As they let the doors close behind them, they heard a slightly audible yet gasp from the woman as Jehu no doubt enjoyed his drink.

"That's… why was he…?" Penumbra was still in shock, her mind no doubt making the necessary leap to just what the two were doing.

"My dad's a vampire," Passion said with a giggle. "And my mom is usually his source of blood."

"O-Oh… er… are you one too?"

Passion grinned, showing off her fangs. "Yup! And guess where I get my blood from~!"

Penumbra had gone pale, while Aleron simply nodded in understanding. Design laughed quietly. "My dear Flame, quit teasing the poor girl. She looks like she's about to faint."

"Aw, but I _never_ get to tease anyone! It's always Izzy that gets to do it!"

While the two women were going back and forth, Aleron and Penumbra got their first look at the interior of Chaotic Confections. It seemed more like a restaurant than a bakery, with about a dozen tables and booths scattered about with a few patrons inside. In one corner booth were Absalom and Duty, the latter with a plate of saltwater taffy and a happy smile on her face. At the front counter was an elegant woman with long, platinum colored hair and bright hazel eyes gently petting a rainbow colored fox. Her immaculate features looked up as they entered. "Oh, hello Passion, Design. And is that Aleron I see?"

"It's been a while, Miss Isabel," Aleron said respectfully, nodding. He gestured to Penumbra. "This is a friend of mine from the Crystal Empire—Penumbra."

"A pleasure," Isabel said smoothly, smiling at the dark furred girl. "Welcome to Chaotic Confections. Now, since you're first timers here, I'll have to give you the first try special."

Penumbra blinked. "First… try?"

Design winced. "Oh dear. Poor girl has no idea…"

Aleron frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's something all first timers go through," Passion said, leading Design away. "Don't worry about it, and just let Izzy take care of you!"

Isabel gave them a warm smile and waved her hand. A masked server appeared, clad in all white. "Take my sister's order, please." The server nodded and followed after Passion and Design. The platinum blonde turned to Aleron and Penumbra, her gentle smile not leaving her face. "Now then, Pain or Pleasure?"

Penumbra's worried look only worsened. "P-Pain?"

"Nothing harmful, I promise. Actually…" Isabel turned her hazel gaze to Aleron. "How about you go first?"

Aleron frowned, but nodded. "Alright. I'll go Pleasure then."

"Mm. Good choice. Wait here, please." Isabel smiled and went into the back, passing through a curtain that covered a doorway. Her rainbow fox gazed at Aleron for a moment longer before hopping off the counter and wandering after her. Isabel reemerged moments later, a black wrapped candy in her hands. She placed it on the counter in front of Aleron and gestured. "Give it a try."

Aleron frowned, picking up the candy. He opened it to find a swirled candy of turquoise and violet inside, delicately wrapped about a core of white. "…Wow. This is…"

"It's pretty," Penumbra murmured, eyes wide.

"Enjoy," Isabel said with a smile.

The young Prince of Stonehearth raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and popped the candy into his mouth. His eyes shot open, the rich and savory taste suffusing his taste buds and making his entire body feel lighter. "…It's very sweet, and I have to admit, I've never had candy this good."

Isabel giggled softly. "I appreciate the compliment, Aleron. I call this particular piece the Wake-Me-Up. And for your friend?"

Penumbra frowned slightly glancing over at Aleron. He simply nodded. "U-Um… I'll have Pleasure too."

The door opened behind them, allowing a woman who looked startlingly like Mercy to enter. However, unlike the pale wife of the Arbiter of Chaos, this woman's eyes were a disturbingly neutral green, her outfit more punk styled than elegant. Near her head followed a floating fox made up of stars. Isabel brightened up at her arrival. "Ah, my other little sister! I wasn't expecting you to stop by!"

"I was in the vicinity," Anastasia Striate remarked flatly. She glanced over at Aleron, eyes flicking to Penumbra momentarily. "…Wolf Prince. Been a while."

"That one looks tasty!" The star fox said, floating over near Penumbra. It had a female voice, refined, yet full of childish enthusiasm. "She reeks of Darkness!"

Ana narrowed her eyes slightly. "Lay off, Amaterasu. It's not the same as what we normally eat."

"Ah well…" the fox floated away from a terrified Penumbra back to its Master. "Silver hair! I want a star!"

"The usual," Ana sighed, moving up to the counter. Isabel giggled, reached under the counter, and pulled out a small clear container with a glowing silver orb inside of it. She handed it off to her sister, who took it, opened the cap, and held it out to Amaterasu. The star wolf grinned with a maw full of teeth, and opened its mouth to suck the orb in. Ana smiled slightly. "Tastes good as always."

Penumbra was open mouthed, eyes wide at what she just witnessed. "Uh… did you… what did you just…?"

"I cultivate a star system in an alternate dimension," Isabel pointed out like she was discussing the weather. "Since Ana's spirit is Amaterasu, she can consume light instead of normal food."

"Teru's favorite food are dwarf stars," Ana informed them, reaching up to pet her star wolf. Amaterasu grinned back at her, and together the pair went over to join Passion and Design at their table. Passion practically jumped up to hug her sister, who had the barest hint of amusement on her normally bored features.

Penumbra's shocked look didn't go away. Aleron chuckled and elbowed her, getting her attention. "Best not to question it too much. You getting anything?"

The dark girl blinked, blushing lightly. "No… I mean yes! I am. Um… I don't know… Pleasure too?"

Isabel nodded and smiled warmly. "Good choice. Here you go." She placed another wrapped candy on the table top in front of Penumbra. When the red-horned girl unwrapped it, she found a blue and green swirled design awaiting her. With one last glance over at Aleron for reassurance, she popped it into her mouth. Isabel's warm smile grew. "Good?"

Penumbra's expression was one of pure bliss, her hand on her cheek and a faraway look in her eyes. "I could eat this _forever_…"

"…Well, that answers that," Isabel said with a little laugh. "That one was called Blissful Release. Unlucky you both picked Pleasure. Pain was sour themed today."

Aleron rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. "Penny's bad with sour foods though. But thanks for the free sample. Could we get some more to go?"

"Sure!" Isabel gestured with her hand and one of the masked attendants came over with a pair of rose colored bags. "Here. As a token to commemorate your first visit, take these on the house."

"You're giving them to us free? You must expect us to come back."

The platinum haired woman tilted her head to the side slightly. "Considering the look on your friend's face, she'll no doubt want to come back."

Aleron glanced over at Penumbra, who was staring at him with hope in her eyes. "…Well, you are right about that."

Isabel giggled and smiled. "I do my best."

"I suppose we might come back in the future. But for now we should get going. I've got a lot of work to do."

Penumbra actually pouted at that. "Back to the books? I don't want to read more…"

Aleron gave her a small smile as he took the offered bags of candy. "No, not back to the books. I'm thinking to ask my mom if she could tell me about anything that might be left at the old castle."

"Oh, okay! That sounds like much more fun than reading more."

"Never underestimate what you can learn from a book," Isabel pointed out thoughtfully. Then she smiled. "But my family has always been more about action than study."

Aleron nodded. "Right. Thanks again, Miss Isabel. Come on Penny."

Penumbra bowed slightly as Aleron turned and headed for the door. "Thank you for the candy, Miss Isabel. I'd love to come back sometime."

Isabel smiled warmly. "Of course. The door is always open for you and your boyfriend."

"Thank you!" Penumbra said brightly, before blushing heavily. "I-I-I…! Al… Al isn't my boyfriend!"

"I heard a 'yet' in there!" Passion called out.

Duty nodded slightly. "Likewise."

"I can almost see the strings tied together," Design said with a smile.

"Best not to fight it," Absalom remarked. Penumbra stared at the group with wide eyes, before turning and hurrying after Aleron. There was a general chuckle that ran through the shop after her departure, and Absalom turned his gaze to the proprietress. "You Striates and your teasing."

"We like to have fun!" Passion claimed.

Isabel gave the Order Mage a small smile. "Although I wish them the best, it's the shy ones that always have the hardest time claiming their feelings…"

Outside, Penumbra caught up to a waiting Aleron. "S-Sorry for making you wait," She stammered, hiding her face in her hair.

Aleron tutted softly, reaching into a pocket. "Stop being a Fluttershy and turn around."

"Turn…?" She did so, only making a small noise when she felt Aleron's hands grab her hair. She blushed again, but in a moment he was finished and her hair was tied back behind her. "Oh! Um… thank you."

"I really need to break that shyness of yours one day," Aleron said with a little smile. "Maybe I should have you hang out with Cori. She's suddenly gotten super assertive lately…"

He trailed off, frowning and looking up at the castle. Penumbra glanced his way, before touching his arm. "…Something the matter?"

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing. Just in thought."

"Or… you feel like you're detached from your sisters now."

Aleron glanced her way in shock. "What?"

"You were gone for a long time, and they've all changed…" She blushed. "But… they all love you regardless."

"I just feel like I'm not needed around here as much," Aleron explained softly. "Ancè's working with Cori and Chrysalis in the information division, Jubilee is helping the miners, and even Aurora is the leader of the Vanguard. I could go back to the Crystal Empire and there wouldn't be much change here."

"I don't think that's fair," Penumbra replied, frowning. "Aleron, they _love _you. They went out of their way to see you, and if you passed by they'd try to spend time with you. If you doubt my words, just ask… oh."

Aleron raised an eyebrow. "Penumbra?"

"AL!"

"…Oh." Aleron turned, finding a very upset looking Cori standing behind him. "…Hey Cori."

"Hey Cori nothing," The Changeling snapped. "You really think you don't have a place here? How happy was Aurora when she knew you were here? How happy do you think we all were? Don't start thinking we're better off without you."

"…Right." Aleron chuckled. "Sorry."

Cori kept her hard look for a bit, before letting out a sigh. "Right. I'm… actually, I needed your help."

"You did? With what?"

"Dad wanted me to…" Cori let out a heavy sigh again. "Logic wants me to talk to Golden Grove. The Tree of Harmony pretty much told me to as well. According to our resident lamia, because our elements are shared between us both, any disharmony between the two of us will weaken the collective strength of the Elements, so she wants me to handle it."

"And you want me along… why?"

Cori blushed lightly. "I… don't want to say or do anything that might make the situation worse."

"Ah. I suppose I can help with that."

Penumbra tapped Aleron's shoulder. "Should I stay around the castle? This is for your sister after all…"

Aleron gave her a gentle smile. "I appreciate the thought, but we… hold on." He stopped, seeing several Shapers with red cloaks hurrying past. He spotted a familiar face and called out. "Harrier!"

The Shaper scout paused, turning to look his way with a surprised look on her pale face. She'd grown her copper colored hair out, letting it fall past her shoulders with just a braid to hold it back. Unlike the Home Guard, the scouts wore light armor under their cloaks, dark colored to better help with concealment. They also didn't carry any obvious weapons. "Young master Aleron, it's been a while! I heard you were back, but I've been working."

"Working?"

"I'm captain of the Stonehearth Pathfinders," Harrier informed them, holding out an arm. She was wearing a dark metal bracer, one that Aleron immediately recognized as a more compact version of the one Charlie had given his father years ago. It was a hidden wrist blade, mostly used for covert kills. When she noticed his realization, she nodded. "I see you noticed. Every Pathfinder is equipped with one of these."

"…Why?"

"The Vanguard may be the first on the field, but the Pathfinders are always there. Your father needed a scalpel where your sister provided a hammer, and we provide that. We've also trained alongside actual Assassins in order to be the best at what we do."

Penumbra blinked. "What? Assassins?"

"Grace went to another world to learn, then brought a master to train us all. But that's another story for another time—we're moving out. Your sister needed us."

"Aurora?" Cori blinked. "Why? What's happening?"

Harrier's soft features hardened. "…Sweet Apple Acres was raided by Diamond Dogs. As far as we're aware, they've taken control of the farm."

There was a literal physical change in the Changeling's demeanor: Cori's emerald iris nearly turned silver, and all the emotion drained from her. "The… they attacked the farm…?"

Harrier nodded. "Aurora believes it's because it's the one area near Stonehearth that we have not reinforced. Applejack wouldn't let us post guards… But I need to hurry. Aurora is rallying the Vanguard and she wanted Pathfinders to help."

"I could also use your help," Aurora's voice called from above them, the young Alicorn flying down to land with them. Without saying another word, she pulled Cori into a hug. "I'll handle this, little sister. Harrier, is your team ready?"

"Already on their way," Harrier informed Aurora with a curt nod. "I'll be joining them momentarily to secure the perimeter."

The young Marshall of the Stonehearth Vanguard nodded back, giving one more good squeeze to her younger sister before letting go. "Good. Get to it. Aleron, I would like you to come with me."

Aleron blinked as Harrier hurried off. "Me?"

"Yeah. I'd like to have your help. Besides me and the Vanguard, Ancè and her Radiant team are… oh, right, Ancè leads one of the combat medic teams."

"Go figure… I'll tag along. Penny, are you staying?"

The gray furred girl tugged at her jacket sleeves. "I… I don't know if I'll be worth anything in a fight…"

Aleron nodded, silver eyes flicking over to Cori. The Changeling was still frozen in place, but it seemed like her mind was racing behind her stunned expression. "…That's fine then. Cori? Could you lead Penumbra back to her room? She still gets a little lost."

Cori blinked once, looking his way in confusion. Then, a sort of realization fell over her, and she smiled softly. "…I love you Aleron."

"Love you too, Cori."

"Okay!" Cori perked up, although both her siblings knew it was forced. The Changeling grabbed Penumbra's hand and began leading her back to the castle.

The twins watched them go, waving after a slightly confused Penumbra who was only just not understanding what was going on. Aurora kept her gentle smile for a bit longer, before nudging her brother with her elbow. "I see what you did there, my dear brother. Using Penumbra to keep Cori distracted. Otherwise, she'd be begging to come along."

Aleron sighed. "As much as I love Cori, she won't be helpful in a fight if she's worried about Golden Grove. I don't want to put her into harm's way."

"That's my brother for you," Aurora remarked with a sigh and shake of her head. "Always thinking logically."

"One of us has to. You're the emotional one, aren't you?"

"I can be logical too," His sister protested, turning on her heel and heading for the front gate. "I'm the _impulsive_ one. Besides, I know you do it out of love, so it's fine."

Aleron fell into step beside her, noting that his sister wasn't wearing her armor. She did have her sword at her waist. "Nothing else to bring?"

"No point in wearing my armor against the dogs," Aurora tugged at her shirt tails. "My clothes are metal-weave from Aunt Vanna though—about as good as wearing chainmail."

Aleron nodded, but he did reach out to gently grasp her shoulder. "_Reinforce. Endurance. Ephemeral Defense. Zephyr Guard._"

Aurora blinked as the enhancing spells fell into place over her, the familiar feel of her brother's magic like a coat around her shoulders. She smiled at him. "You didn't have to do that. I can strengthen my body you know—plus, don't all those spells have time limits?"

"They do, and I'm happy to know all that time spent teaching you magic paid off," Aleron grinned when she pouted. "But, I can maintain those spells for a while as long as I don't have to cast anything too advanced."

"Hm… okay." They reached the front gate, where a squad of a dozen Vanguard members were getting onto what looked like a truck. It was a mixed group of Stonekin and Wulfen, all in the traditional Vanguard silver. Along with them was a quartet of women in white and red outfits. Aurora waved a hand. "Ancè! Ready to go?"

The violet haired young woman glanced back, smiling slightly at her sister. "I suppose I am. Are you accompanying us, Al?"

Aleron nodded. "Yes, I am. This is Radiant team?"

"Indeed. Miss Grace saw fit to train rapid response medic teams in case of emergencies or quick deployment."

Aurora cleared her throat, getting their attention. "Not to be rude, sis, but we're on the clock. I'm switching into Marshal mode."

Ancè smiled and nodded respectfully. "Of course, ma'am."

"Okay! Al, get in. Vanguard!"

"Sir!" Came a dozen voices. Aleron found a seat beside Ancè, his sister slipping an arm into his. When he looked at her, she simply smiled and shook her head.

Aurora was standing in front of them all, a wild grin on her face as she faced her squad. "What's our motto?"

"First in, Last Standing!"

"Let's get a move on then!" Aurora hopped onto the bumper of the truck and smacked the side. "To Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Aye Aye, Princess!" The driver called out. With a bit of a lurch, the truck started and they were on their way.

Aleron patted the metal bed of the truck. "Curious, but I'm pretty sure trucks aren't a thing."

"You also forget we have quite the prodigious inventors living in Stonehearth," Ancè pointed out. "Charlie and her little sister have taken some tech from Aunt Kyanna's world to make new machines and the like here. Mostly just quality of life, but…"

"But?"

"Maybe you'll see, maybe you won't. We've learned a lot from other worlds."

Aleron made a thoughtful noise, directing his attention to his twin. Aurora was talking to a Stonekin at the back of the truck, from the sound of it some kind of strategy. "…Aurora's getting into her role very well."

"She's had time to get used to it. Believe me, it was far stranger for the rest of us to realize she's very good at leading, even when off the battlefield."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Really, Aurora is second only to Aunt Luna when it comes to authority around Stonehearth."

"Hm…"

They lapsed into silence, Ancè seemingly content to hold his arm as they rode. Aleron was busy looking around at the squad, and going over all the spells he knew just in case. He'd put protective spells over Ancè too, but not yet. She'd notice and say something, and it would be better if the rest of the squad didn't see him do that. So instead he turned his attention to Ancè's outfit. The healer's robe was primarily white, with red accents along all the edges and small red cross emblems on the sleeves. The collar was high, with a jacket over the entire ensemble that was obviously made of the same material as Aurora's clothes. At Ancè's feet sat a satchel also marked with a healer's cross. No doubt it had medicines and other supplies in it.

"Coming up on the farm!" The driver called out.

"Anything you see?" Aurora called up front. The air in the truck suddenly grew tense—the prospect of combat looming on the horizon.

"…Smoke."

Aurora's curious expression was rapidly discarded for a grim frown. Aleron could feel his sister's trepidation—and the tiny bit of fury burning under the surface. "…I see. Time to hope we're not too late."

**-x-**

* * *

**So you know what the hardest chapters of any story to write are?**

**The first like six or seven. You're trying to hook your audience, set up the plot... and keep yourself from gushing out about all the future events you want to put out there. But we'll get there. For now, we have to get the ball rolling...**

**As per the usual, Read, Review, and Return for the next chapter, where we find out just what happened on Sweet Apple Acres...**


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